Invisible
by BloomingFlower-asn
Summary: Bella has always been invisible, in her own way. She has a secret as to why it is so. Out of the blue, someone calls revealing information that she has always dreamed of remembering. Who is it? And does it have any connection with her new friends?
1. Prologue

Have you ever felt like you were completely invisible? Nobody knew you were existed. I have! It's not the same as being ignored. Being ignored means that they know you exists but they pretend you don't. Invisible on the other hand means that they don't even know you exist in the first place.

Most people love attention and popularity. I on the other hand tend to keep to myself. If I can, I would definitely avoid being in the center of attention. But seeing as I have moved a couple of times… ok maybe not a couple, but seeing as I have moved many times, attention seems to follow me around, especially in school. So far, I have been to about 6 schools in the past 3 years. It's not my fault my stepdad is a minor league baseball player and has to travel to many places because of his career.

Oh, I guess I forgot to mention that my mom and dad are divorced but you probably figured that out when I mentioned my stepdad. Anyway, as I was saying, they travel a lot. For 3 years I have tolerated that but this year I had enough. I told my mom, Renee that I didn't want to be a burden to her and Phil, my stepdad, so I decided to live with my dad, Charlie. My mom threw a huge fit saying my dad is irresponsible, careless, and etc. I think my mom is probably angry at my decision to realize that what she just said about dad was really about her.

You see my mom is not what you call a normal mom. She is erratic, eccentric, and loves to have fun. That's why she and Phil are perfect. I on the other hand am a mature, responsible teenager. Not that I want to brag or anything but the truth is I think my mom and I sort of switched roles. She's acts like an erratic teenager and I act like a mature adult. But you can't blame me; somebody has to be the adult in the house.

Anyway back to the original topic, after my mom's huge fit, she finally calmed down and allowed me to live with my dad. So here I am, in a plane on the way to Seattle from Phoenix, where we are currently staying, before taking another plane from Seattle to Port Angeles before taking a one hour drive with my dad to the town named Forks. Yes, ladies and gentleman, my dad lives in non other than Forks, a small town in Washington, which is usually under a constant cover of clouds and rains practically almost every day.

Oh how terribly rude of me. I can't believe I forgot the most important detail of all. Hi, my name is Isabella Marie Swan, but I prefer Bella, and this is my story of how I became visible.


	2. Chapter 1: Welcome Home

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Disclaimer: I do not own twilight…this disclaimer is for the whole story.

**Chapter 1: Welcome Home**

Well, after that long ride on the planes, I have finally arrived in the town Forks. I have heard many things about this place, most of them are complains but I would be willing to give this place a shot since I'm going to be living here until I graduate or maybe longer than that, who knows. Now to look for my dad, well he shouldn't be too hard to find, just look for a guy standing next a car with blue and red lights on it. Oh, did I mention my dad's the Police Chief of this town. I didn't? Oh well, I just did, anyway I spotted my dad next to the cruiser. Wow! My dad still looks exactly like how I remember him. Okay, that's a lie. I haven't seen my dad in 3 years. We have kept in touch through phones calls and letters but I haven't seen him. He was kept busy with his work so I couldn't visit him and he couldn't visit me.

"Hey dad, it's good to see you."

"Good to see you too, Bells." He replied while giving a warm hug. My dad usually isn't very good with his emotions but considering he hasn't seen me in 3 years that was bound to change.

I helped him put my bags in the trunk. Since I didn't have that many clothes because I not all that into fashion, they could fit in the trunk of the car.

The car ride was filled with silence except for the occasional questions that Charlie would ask. Other than that, it was fine. The silence wasn't the awkward kind of silence; it was actually a comfortable silence. We finally arrived at the house. The house that my dad lived in was actually quite comfortable. It may look small to most people but for me it was enough considering that there are only two people living in it. When I got out from the car, I noticed a faded – red Chevy truck in the driveway. I didn't realize that I was staring at it until my dad pulled me out of my revere.

"Do you like it?" my dad asked with a hint of worry in his voice.

"It's amazing. But what's it doing in our driveway?" I asked curiously.

"Well, it's yours. I got for you as your welcome home gift."

"Oh my Gosh, I love it dad. Thanks!" I gave my dad a big hug and was surprised that he accepted it. Maybe my dad has changed into a man of emotions. Oh who am I kidding, that is impossible. Well there is no harm in hoping than.

"Okay Bells, before you get too excited, I have deal to make with you. You mother said you were an excellent cook."

"Well, I wouldn't say excellent." I replied.

"Ok, anyway the deal is you get to keep this truck but you have to cook dinner every day. Do we have a deal?"

"Deal, but just one question, how did you manage before I came here?" I asked wondering how my dad survived 3 years without cooking.

"Well, mostly I went out to eat during the weekdays and Billy and Harry would invite me over on the weekends." He replied sheepishly.

"DAD, eating out is not healthy." I said concerned for my dad's health.

"Don't worry, Bells. I'm healthy as a horse." After my dad replied he collapsed at the side of the driveway.

"DAD? DAD?! Are you okay?" I was freaking out.

"I'm okay, Bells. GOTCHA!" My dad said as he got up from the driveway.

"Oh my Gosh, I can't believe you, dad. Why would you scare me like that! I was freaking out and I was about to call the hospital." I was actually angry that my dad would pull a stupid prank like that on me.

"Relax, Bells. I did it to prove my point. I'm healthy as a horse." He said a little worried that I might yell at him for pulling that prank on me.

"Fine, dad but don't do it again, okay? You had me worried there." I replied.

"I'm sorry, Bells." My dad said sincerely.

"I forgive you dad but I have to go pack my bags then we'll talk about this kitchen duty, okay?"

"Okay!"

I still can't believe my dad actually managed to pull a prank on me. Maybe he has really changed. I grabbed my 3 bags and headed upstairs to my room with my own bathroom. I wouldn't mind sharing a bathroom with my dad if there was only one bathroom but since there were two, I got my own. My room is smaller than the room I had in Phoenix but I still like it. I have a bed, an empty desk; I guess my mom told my dad that I have my own laptop. I didn't really need one yet but my mom insisted on me having one. My room is actually quite comfortable. The color of the wall made the room more homey and cozy.

After unpacking, I had to see what I could make for dinner. As I headed downstairs, I heard voices of people talking. There were about 3 people downstairs. One of the voices was my dad's. I couldn't recognize the other 2. Before I could even make to the kitchen, I tripped down the last steps of the stairs. Yeah! I guess I forgot to mention that I'm a total klutz.

Ever since the moment I could walk, the ground and the hospital have been my closest friends. There wouldn't be a single day when I would not trip unless like luck was on my side which was very, very rare. Anyway, just as I steadied myself from my previous fall, a pair of hands shot out of behind me and clamped my eyes.

"Guess who?" The person whose hands now covered my eyes said.

"Um…Charlie?" I answered knowing it was wrong but I couldn't think of anyone else.

"No…Try again!!"

"Um…could you give me hint? The only person I know is Charlie." I replied.

That person gave me my vision back and spun me around. I was now facing a guy with glossy black hair, russet skin colour, black eyes and a very tall, muscular body. I didn't who it was until that person suddenly smiled at me with a smile that I could recognize from miles away.

"Jake?" I asked.

"Yeah, Bells. How could forget me? I am deeply hurt." He said placing one hand over his heart.

"I'm sorry Jake. The last time I saw you was like 3 years ago. Wow Jake, you grew. Last time you were the size of a bean. I guess the bean finally grew into a bean stalk." I replied jokingly.

"Well look who's talking?! I might have grown a foot or two. Are you sure you didn't shrink? Did someone leave you in the washing machine too long?" He said while laughing at his own joke.

"Hey, I maybe short but I'm bigger than you in maturity."

"Well, she's got you there, Jake." Jake's dad, Billy said.

"Oh hey, Billy. How have you been?"

"Good, except for the occasional complains from the 'bean stalk' about helping me out. A guy in a wheel chair can't do that much anymore."

I gave him a sympathy smile. He just nodded in reply. I really felt bad for the Billy. He now has to live his life in wheel chair. Must be a real challenge but sadly life is full of challenges. Suddenly an awkward silence filled the room. I decided to change the subject.

"Hey are you guys hungry? I was just about to prepare my dad dinner." I asked Billy and Jake.

"Yeah sure." They replied.

I headed off to the kitchen to prepare dinner. I was too busy finding some cooking utensils I could use to not notice someone else entering the kitchen. When that person spoke, it just gave me such a huge fright. I let out a short scream and all the cooking utensils that were in my hand came crashing down. I was about to glare at Jake for scaring me like that when I found him laughing his head off on the floor with tears rolling down his face. I was super mad that I did what any normal kid would do when they were angry. I crossed my arms around my chest and gave him the best glare that I sum up.

Sadly my plan back fired. Because instead of Jake becoming terrified of my glare, he started laughing even harder than before and to top it all off, Billy and Charlie were also laughing. I wanted to scream at Jake for laughing at me but I ended up laughing with them all. How could you not? Laughing is really contagious, especially Jakes.

After about 10 minutes, Jake was finally able to offer his help without laughing at me again. I searched the fridge for some ingredients I could use but there was hardly anything in it. I asked Jake if he could find some food around the cabinets but sadly he couldn't either.

"Dad, don't you have any food in this house?"

"Um…come to think of it, not really." Charlie admitted sheepishly.

"Is that why you always go out and go to Billy's or Harry's house to eat?" I asked knowing fully that the answer would be yes.

"…Maybe."

"Dad, do you mind if I go to Thriftway to get some groceries for dinner, unless of course you want to skip dinner itself?" Hoping he wouldn't mind so that I could see the town plus drive my new truck.

"Yeah, I don't mind as long as Jake goes with you." My dad replied.

"Ok, thanks Dad. See you in a few. Come on Jake, we have to go." I said excitedly.

I stepped out the front door dragging Jake with all my strengths. I finally get to use my truck and see the town. I hope I don't meet anyone that realizes I'm new here. Then I would have to turn my invisible mode on. Well there's only one way to find out…

AN: This chapter is just the introduction of Jacob's character. I know it's sort of boring. It's just the beginning. I'll try my best make the story more interesting in the next chapters. This is my first fan fiction, so if I did anything wrong please point it out and forgive me. Thanks! 

I know you don't see things like this often but if you don't want to review its ok. I don't mind! 


	3. Chapter 2: Jake and I

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Disclaimer: I do not own twilight…this disclaimer is for the whole story.

**Chapter 2: Jake and I**

"Woah, Bella. Excited much?" Jake asked.

"Hey its not every day I get to travel someplace… ok scratch that. I'm going to be living here until I graduate or maybe longer, the least you could do is give me a tour of the town." I asked with a huge smile plastered on my face.

"Of course you deserve a tour but it's getting late and you don't want your dad worrying now do you?" he replied.

"Fine! You know you sound like a guy talking to his girlfriend after a date telling her, he has to take her home before her dad gets worried." I asked laughing at the thought of Jake doing that.

My laughter died down as soon as I saw Jake's expression. His smile disappeared and he was staring at me with an awkward expression. Oh no! Did Jake take me seriously? I was only kidding when I said that.

"Uh Bells, there's been something I have been meaning to ask you." Jake said while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Um…you can ask me anything, Jake. This is what best friends are for, right?" I said praying this conversation is not going where I think it is going.

"Yeah…about that, I was just…okay I'm going to be honest and just say this, okay?"

I nodded, which was an indication for him to continue but he never did.

"You know what? Never mind, lets get the groceries for dinner, okay?" Jake said in a hurry to change the subject.

"Um…sure if you want? But you can ask me anything, okay?" I said while putting a hand on his shoulder. I had to stretch a bit to reach it.

Jake nodded, and then laughed at me.

"What?" I said wondering what was so funny.

"Nothing…it's just I can't believe you shrunk. You know now would be a good time to admit that someone left you in the washing machine too long." Jake said between his laugh.

"I thought we got over that already. Are you ever going to let that go?" I asked still crossed at the fact that he hadn't gotten over his stupid little remark.

"Never." His said laughing even harder than before. I'm lucky we were still at the driveway of my house and not at the mall or people would be thinking we were insane.

"Hey, just because I fell into the washing machine was back in Phoenix doesn't mean…" I clamped my mouth with my hand at the realization that I didn't mention that little incident to him. I was hoping he didn't hear me because of his laughing.

"You…what?! He said laughing even harder. I guess he heard it because now he was rolling on the pavement laughing his head off.

"It wasn't my fault. You know what a klutz I am. I accidentally fell in, okay?" I said defending myself a little.

That did it. I thought sarcastically.

Now tears were rolling down his face and I bet his booming laughter could be heard from miles away.

"Fine! If you want to spend all night laughing at me, go ahead. I'm heading to buy the groceries. You can come if you like or if you much prefer to laugh your head off on the pavement then go ahead. I don't care." I said as I stomped off with an angry expression on my face.

"Bells…Bells…" He managed to say my name between his laugh. "Where are…you…going? Your truck…is over…there." He said pointing to the opposite direction from where I was headed.

Great! Just when I thought my humiliation couldn't get any worse, it just did. What? Is today laugh at Bella day?

After I reached my truck, I was in an awe struck too notice someone snake his arms around my waist to give me a big hug.

"I'm sorry, Bells. You're just too funny for your own good. Hope you'll forgive me." He said with a little pout on his cute face. How could I refuse that pout?

"Fine, you are forgiven." I said. "But come on we have to get going. I bet they are still wondering why we're still here." I said gesturing to Charlie and Billy in the house.

"How do you know they know were still here?" He said as he released me from his grip.

"Who wouldn't know you're here, with that booming laughter of all. I bet the people in Texas could probably hear you." I said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, Bells. I thought you said you forgave for it." He asked.

"Yeah, I did. Doesn't mean I can't use it against you someday." I said with a smug smile on my face.

"You're a little Devil you know that." He said.

"Ouch! Did you hear that everyone? Jacob Black has finally learnt how to insult somebody. Congratulations. It's okay to be shocked that it took you a while to finally be able to insult somebody. I mean, everyone learns at their own pace. I guess, you're just so slow." I said while that smug smile only grew larger.

"Why you little…" He said. There was a mischievous glint in his eyes and I took that as the queue to start running knowing he was up to something.

I ran as fast I could around the truck. He ambushed me by running in the opposite direction and then tackled me to the ground. Once he had me, he started tickling me.

"Jake….Ja…ke…Stop!" I said through my giggling. After a while, he stopped tickling me but I was still pinned to the ground. He was staring at me with an expression on his face. I recognized the expression as…adoration. I can't help but blush a little at his stare.

Well, I guess you're bound to find out my other secret as while…well it's not a secret but…never mind. Anyway, I'm known for blushing. I can blush different shades of red. I usually blush when I'm embarrassed and other times…well I don't know why but I just blush okay?

Where was I, oh yes! Jake was staring at me. After a while, he released me from his grasp and helped me up. I could feel the presence of someone staring at me. I turned around to find my dad and Billy with their noses pressed against the window. I looked away from their gazes and blushed. It must have been shocking to them to find us in that position. I wonder how long have they been spying on us.

"Well, Jake. I think we better get the groceries before they get hungry. You know they are watching us from inside?" I said to Jake who was looking away embarrassed about the previous situation.

"Uh…yeah sure! Come on, let's get going." Jake replied.

We stepped into my precious truck and headed off to Thriftway. Even though Thriftway was 10 minutes away from my house, it still felt like such a long ride. The whole way to Thriftway was filled with an awkward silence. I guess both of us were apparently still embarrassed about the previous situation.

When we finally arrived, there were not many people inside. Just as I was about to enter the supermarket, Jake stopped me by having a hold on my wrist. I spun around only to be met with Jake's avoiding gaze.

"What is it, Jake? Remember what I said? You can tell me anything. If this is about what happened on my driveway, just forget about it." I said.

Jake's gaze finally met mine. His eyes held some sort of worried expression which after a while turned into an amused expression.

"Bells, how can I forget about what happened earlier? You were pretty hilarious." He said laughing but it wasn't the same as before. This time it was a nervous laughter.

"Jake, stop changing the subject. I know you have something to tell me or ask me as you put it earlier. What is it? I won't bite! I said with a sincere smile on my face. Jake looked like he was contemplating something with himself. It was after a while before he said something.

"Ok, you're right Bells; I have been meaning to ask something for a while." He said nervously.

"Ok, Jake what is it?" I said while nodding my head as an indication for him to go on.

"Bella…you are a great person. Amazing in everyway. I have been meaning…to ask you…whether you would do me…the honor in…

**AN: Sorry about that! I hope you like this chapter. I know the story is moving very slowly but I hope its okay. If you're wondering when the Cullen's and Hale's will be appearing… be patient. You're patient will be rewarded. This is my first fanfiction…so please don't be disappointed if I don't meet with your expectation. Once again, you don't have to review if you don't want to…Thanks for reading…**


	4. Chapter 3: Embarrassing Situation

**Disclaimer: I do not own twilight…this disclaimer is for the whole story.**

**Chapter 3: Embarrassing situation**

Jake began mumbling some words unfortunately the only I think caught was…

_"...becoming my girlfriend?"_

Wait, WHAT?! Oh my GOSH!! What am I going to do? I mean I love Jake and all but I love him as a friend. I hope he doesn't resent me for turning him down.

"So Bells, what about it?" Jake asked me nervously.

"Um…well I'm flattered and all but I don't think it would work…I mean there are many other people out there…and I think they would be better than me." I answered hoping we could still be friends.

"Oh but Bells, you are just what I'm looking for."

"Thanks Jake…but I just don't think it would work out. I mean you are a year younger than me even though you don't look like it…ARGH! What I'm trying to say is that I think it would be best if we stayed friends…okay?" I replied hoping he would accept it.

"But Bells…wait what? You thought…Oh no no no, didn't you hear what I just said?"

"Um…not really. You were mumbling and all I caught was _"…becoming my girlfriend?""_ I said wondering where he is going with this.

"What I said was that I was wondering whether you would do me the honor in asking Leah what she thinks of me. I was hoping she would become my girlfriend."

"Oh! Well this is awkward. Wait did you say Leah? As in Leah Clearwater, sister to Seth Clearwater.

"Yeah…why?" Jake asked.

"Oh my Gosh! I can't believe you like Leah. I taught she hated you." I asked him remembering all those times they use to yell at each other for no apparent reason.

"Well, we did. Until one day our friends decided to play a prank on us and well after that I learnt a lot about her. And you know the feelings started to grow from there." Jake admitted.

"Wow, I didn't think that prank would actually work." I said to myself.

"What? Oh um nothing. Sure Jake I would be honored you choose me to ask her. But could I ask why?" I asked.

"Well, because you're my best friend and I needed an approval from someone I could count on." Jake replied.

"Aw! Jake, thank you. When do you want me to ask Leah, the girl JAKE HAS A CRUSH ON what she thinks about you?" I said emphasizing on the last part.

"Would you keep it down? I don't want anyone to find out okay?" Jake said.

"Well fine, if you don't want anyone to know that YOU HAVE A CRUSH ON LEAH, than I'll keep it to myself." I said with a smug smile on my face.

"Bella…please stop saying that so loudly. What if she happens to be standing right behind me?" Jake said while begging me to stop.

"But Jake…"

"No, Bella listen! I'm begging you to stop because I really, really like her okay?"

Jake was waiting for me to agree with him. I thought about it until I saw an opportunity to make him blush as hard as me. Hey! I didn't say I was the only one who could blush different shades of red. I just said it was easier to be seen on me since I have pale ivory skin. His blush is usually hidden because of his russet skin. But this time it wouldn't be so easy to hide it. Now the moment of revenge.

"Jake sorry what did you say. I totally spaced out earlier. Could you repeat it to me?" I said with an evil smile on my face.

He hesitated a while because of my expression but then he replied.

"I said, stop saying that I have a crush on Leah so loudly because…" He stopped momentarily.

"Yes?" I said waiting for the moment of triumph.

"Because I really, really like her, okay?" He said quietly.

"What was that? I couldn't quite hear it."

"I said I really, really like her, okay?" He said a little louder than before but still too soft.

"What was that? Could you speak louder Jake, I can't hear you?" I said hoping he would get irritated.

"I SAID I REALLY, REALLY LIKE HER, OKAY?" He said clearly annoyed by my lack of hearing.

"Who was it again that you really, really like?" I asked Jake.

"LEAH!! I REALLY, REALLY LIKE LEAH!!" Jake said shouting at the top of his lungs.

With this, I turned to face Leah, who is currently standing behind Jake with an awkward expression on her face.

"Oh! Hi, Leah! How have you been?" I said with a triumph smile on my face.

She hesitated a while but then said "Hi, Bella. I'm actually doing great." She stopped for a moment before continuing. "Um…Hi, Jake."

"Um…Hi, Leah!" Jake said blushing furiously while managing to glare at me with all his might.

"Well, I think I will leave you two love buds alone. See you inside Jake." I yelled to him while laughing as I went in.

I can't believe I made him blush that hard. I mean I don't even blush that hard, at least I hope I don't. Well, I hope I didn't screw things up with Leah. He really looked embarrassed about it. And by the way he said her name, he must really, really like her.

I was carrying a basket to hold all the groceries for dinner. I was thinking of making Chicken Enchiladas. But I wasn't too sure about it. Maybe I should ask Jake about it. As I was heading out to look for him, he bumped into me at the end of the aisle. As you know being a klutz I am, I fell flat on my bum.

"Oh sorry Bells, here." He said reaching down to pull me up with his hand.

"No problem. Thanks. Um…so how did it go out there? I didn't screw it up, did I?" I asked him worried of what I did.

"Actually Bells, that's what I wanted to tell you. Ok, at first things were a little awkward between us. But then I managed to talk to her a little. Than I asked her to be my girlfriend. She said…yes!" Jake said smiling happily.

"Oh my Gosh, Jake. I knew it would work out. And you're welcome." I said grinning happily that my best friend has finally found a girlfriend.

"Thank you so much, Bells. You could have done in a much better way though. But thank you. How can I ever repay you?" He said.

"It's okay; you don't have to repay me. Do you mind getting the trolley; the basket won't fit anymore food." I asked.

"Sure, no prob. Bells. Just curious here, how much food do you need to make dinner?" He asked curiously.

"Well, I'm not making dinner for tonight only. I'm making it for the rest of my stay here. So I would need all the food there is. Besides have you seen what's inside Charlie's fridge?"

"Yeah, absolutely nothing." He replied.

"Exactly, he's bound to get hungry sometime and there has to be at least something eatable in the house." I said to Jake who was now back with the trolley. Wow! He's really fast. When did he go? Oh well!

For the past 20 minutes or so, we have been loading all kinds of food into the trolley. Not junk food of course, healthy food. I'm still worried about Charlie's health though he claimed to say he was healthy as a horse. I think we have enough food for a hall full of students. Students! That reminds me, I have school tomorrow, where I would be the new girl…again! I sighed, thinking about tomorrow.

"What's wrong, Bells?" He asked me. We were currently walking through one of the aisles.

"Nothing. I'm just thinking about school tomorrow. Sadly, I'll be the new girl again and you won't be there." I said.

Jake was unfortunately studying in La Push. He absolutely loved it there. He had his friends and now girlfriend going there. Who wouldn't love that? Well, accept for the girlfriend part, if you're a girl but you get the point.

"Don't worry Bells. I'm sure you'll manage through it. You did for 6 schools so far. I can't believe it. You're 17 and you have been to 6 schools so far. But be hell, huh?" He said.

"You have no idea. But you're right I managed through 6 schools so far, I guess 7 won't make a difference. Thanks Jake."

I was talking to Jake about how is friends were doing that I didn't see someone in my way. Apparently that someone didn't see me either. Well, you can guess what happened next, can't you. You can't? Oh, well here's a little hint. _**"BANG!"**_

Yeah, I banged into that person and guess what? Fell flat on my bum…again. You know usually this is where the best friend comes in to help me up. But instead he was laughing his head off. I was about to help myself up when a pair of hands shot down in front of me and helped me up. I came face to face with a guy who looked over a year older than me. He had dark curly brown hair, dark brown eyes, dimples which look really cute on him. He was huge. I don't mean the huge as in the fat guy, kind of huge. I mean the big, burly muscular type of huge. He helped me up and set me down steadily.

"Thanks." I said looking down at my feet.

"No problem. But you should have seen your look when you glared at him for laughing at you." He said laughing while pointing at Jake.

Great another guy like Jake. One is enough for me thank you. He looked really intimidating at first but then when he laughed he seemed to look like a teddy bear. All big and cuddly. Not get any ideas. This is just my observation.

"My name is Emmett Cullen." He said.

"Um…Bella Swan." I said to him. I usually thought that when you meet someone they would give you shake your hand or something. But I didn't expect him to give me a bone crushing hug.

"Um…can't…breathe." I managed to say before I died from this bone crushing hug. Wow! That's a first. I can just imagine it. Headlines for tomorrow's newspaper. _**Girl died from a bone crushing hug.**_ That would have been pretty hilarious, if I didn't happen to be the girl.

"Well, Bella Swan it's a pleasure to meet you. I better get home or else Esme would have my head. Cool, head for dinner. Sounds pretty good." I think the last part was meant for himself but he said it pretty loudly. Jake was trying to hold back a laugh. Like that would work.

"Like wise, Emmett." I said glad that he didn't know I was new. Or maybe he did but didn't say anything. That was weird. Usually people would try to pester the new kid. I guess he just didn't know. Wow what a stroke of luck.

As I was walking towards Jake at the cashier, I heard Emmett saying to himself.

"_Cookie, cookie, cookie, peanut butter, cookie, cookie…"_

I couldn't help it but let out a small giggle. If you think of it, it is pretty hilarious that I guy that looks like a body builder is acting like a 5 year old kid in public. I couldn't help wonder if he would be going to Forks High School. There could be a possibility, and then I would actually know someone at the school. What am I saying? Everyone will be pestering me tomorrow. Ugh…great. I just hope that tomorrow would be different. I'm sick and tired of being in the center of attention.

What I didn't know was that my life was talking on a whole new twist. Could it be for the better…or for the worse? Only one way to find out.

**AN: I hope you like this chapter. I know the story is moving very slowly but I hope its okay. Remember when I said the Cullens and the Hales would be appearing in this chapter. I didn't exactly mean all of them. This is my first fanfiction…so please don't be disappointed if I don't meet with your expectation. Once again, you don't have to review if you don't want to…Thanks for reading… **


	5. Chapter 4: Short Introduction

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight....this disclaimer is for the whole story!**

**Chapter 4: Short Introduction**

Beep! Beep!

Ugh! Where is that sound coming from? It is so annoying. Oh wait, that's my alarm clock. Silly me. I reluctantly got up from bed and headed to the shower. I'm usually not a morning person. But today I had to get up early because it was the first day of school. Ugh, school! Why me? You think you would get used to attention after a while, but no the feeling is always the same. Butterflies in your stomach, palms getting sweaty, and a headache from all that thinking. Mostly thinking about how I'm going to handle all the attention.

Anyway, I had my shower and washed my hair with my favorite shampoo, strawberry and freesia. When I finished, I change into something comfortable. As I mentioned before, I'm not a fashion person so most of my outfits were bought based on comfort not style. I chose to wear a red blouse and a pair of blue jeans. I then headed downstairs to prepare breakfast for Charlie and me.

When I got to the kitchen, I noticed Charlie's cruiser had disappeared from the driveway. I guess he must have left already. I decided to make pancakes with chocolate chips. Yum! I could taste it already. While I was mixing the batter, I was humming to myself my favorite tune. Music of the Night from the Phantom of the Opera. I love the movie and the musical Phantom of the Opera. The music and the romance between the characters is such endearing.

I had finished my breakfast in a blink of an eye. I grabbed my raincoat and headed out the door. Since I woke up this morning, I didn't notice the whether. It was cloudy and misty and it had the aura that it was going to rain. Even in this weather, my truck stood out. It was parked in the driveway just where I left it yesterday. I got into the truck and took a deep breath before heading to Forks High. The smell of peppermint and tobacco was in the air. All the nervousness suddenly flooded back to me not that it had disappeared before.

I took another deep breath and then started my truck. The rumbling sound of the truck woke me up a little. As I said before I'm not a morning person. Last nights events flooded into my mind. I remembered having a friendly fight in my driveway. Then embarrassing Jake with the whole Leah thing. I still can't believe that prank actually worked. Wow, Embry and Quil are really good pranksters. We can't give them all the credit though. I helped a little too. Ok fine, my part was very minor but still it was important. I just had to get Jake out of the house and to First Beach. You may think that was an easy job but it was a whole lot harder. This was about 3 years ago but I had to leave the next day so I didn't get to see the effect of it. Not until yesterday though.

Anyway I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't realize that I had driven past Forks High. What a way to go Bella. On the first day, and you already drove pass the school. What would people think you now? Well, I didn't really care what people thought of me. I would still be the new girl and get all the attention for a whole day at the least. As I drove into the school parking lot, there weren't many students here. I glanced at my watch and realized that I was already 5 minutes late. Great another mishap. What else could go wrong?

I rushed to the office and was met with a middle age woman behind the counter. The name plate placed at the center of the counter indentified her as Mrs. Cope.

"Um…excuse me, Mrs. Cope. I'm Bella Swan. I'm here to pick up my schedule." I said with a shy smile on my face.

"Why hello there, dear. Ah yes, Isabella Swan. Well, here is your schedule and it seems that you are late for your first class." Mrs. Cope said glancing at the clock on the far east of the wall.

"I'm sorry but I…" I couldn't tell her I drove pass the school that would result in utter humiliation. So I decided to lie instead. "I…um woke up late."

"Well, that's all right, dear. Try not to make it a habit though." She replied. "Well, of you go. You don't want to miss your lessons on your first day."

I left the office in a rush to get to my first class when it hit me. I didn't know where my first class was. I looked around for any student that might be able to help me locate my class. There were hardly any students in the hallway. Well of course there wouldn't be any students in the hallway, they're all in class. What's wrong with me today? Must be that headache earlier.

I was about to head back into the office to ask Mrs. Cope directions to where my class was when I bump into someone. Well being the klutz I am; I fell flat to the ground. Why hello there ground, it has been a while since I last saw. When was the last time we met? Ah yes, at the supermarket. Now I remember. Silly me. I was talking to myself. Could I get anymore pathetic? When I looked up I was met with a huge guy. He looked oddly familiar. I just couldn't seem to recall where I've seen him.

"Bella?" He asked me with a smile on his face.

"Um…yeah?" I replied still confused as to whom I'm speaking to.

"Hey, didn't expect to see you here. Don't you remember me? Emmett Cullen from the Thriftway. It was easy to recognize you what with the position you're in. It was the same as the last time we met." He said laughing at me…again.

"Oh, Emmett. Yeah sorry." I replied shyly.

"No problem. Well see you around." He said as he headed off.

I was still rather confused at what just occurred but then I remembered that I have no idea where my class is. I turned around to call Emmett seeing as he wasn't that far away from me.

"Emmett! Wait up."

"Yeah?" He said as he turned around to face me.

"Um…do you know where my Government Class in Building 3 is?" I asked awkwardly.

"Of course. I'm heading over there right now." He said.

I was actually relieved that someone was willing to help me and that I would no someone in my first class. It still puzzled me that he didn't seem to think of me as the new girl. But it might have something to do with our previous encounter.

"Do you mind, if I tag along?" I asked hoping he wouldn't mind.

"Sure no problem. But first, I have to meet someone. Wanna come with?" He asked me.

"Uh…sure I guess." I replied.

We headed right pass the office to meet whoever it was he wanted to meet. I realized that we were heading towards the parking lot. I wanted to ask him what we were doing here but I held it back. When we reached the parking lot, a car had just parked right across from us. Inside the car, were two of the most gorgeous people I have met. Emmett included. Who wouldn't think he was gorgeous with his curly hair and his dimples.

Anyway, out came out two people who looked as though they were twins. One was girl the other was a boy. The boy was tall and had a lean muscular body. He also had ocean blue eyes which just sparkled under the sound and honey blonde hair. They girl on the other hand looked as though she could put any model to shame. She had silky wavy blonde hair and the same blue eyes that match the boys. It was absolutely obvious that they were twins.

The blond girl who stepped out of the car headed over to Emmett and gave him a peck on the lips. I didn't want to intrude so I looked away. I didn't realize I was looking at the boy until he smiled at me. I was usually a shy person around new people but this time it felt different. I gave him a smile in return then glanced in the opposite direction. Emmett was just about to introduce me to them when the principle came to us.

"What may I ask is going on here?" He asked.

"Well, we are standing in the parking lot and the birds are tweeting and sky is blue and…I like that on you, sir." Emmett said. I was trying to hold back a laughter at Emmett's randomness.

"Why thank you Emmett but that's not what I meant. Aren't you all supposed to be in class?" He said looking at the three of them. He happened to not notice me standing not that far away from him.

"Well you see sir, me and my brother had an emergency so we came late to school and I told Emmett to come and meet us before we entered class, sir." The girl said. Apparently she didn't notice me either. What was going on? In a town this small, wouldn't it be obvious if there was someone new here. Apparently not.

"Well, I think you all ought to head back to class at once." He said as he walked towards my direction. I thought he was about to acknowledge my presence. Instead he walked right into me and I fell on the tar road. I thought he turned around to help me up instead he turned around to glare at Emmett and the boy because they were trying to hold back their laughter at seeing my fall. The principle then walked off. Well that was rude. After the principle disappeared from our sight, Emmett and the other boy burst into laughter. The girl just stood there looking confused at the reaction of Emmett and her brother.

After their laughter died down and I was on my foot again, Emmett introduced me to his two companions.

"Bella, this is Rosalie and Jasper Hale." He said.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you." Jasper said.

"Likewise." I replied.

Rosalie on the other hand still looked confused.

"Emmett, who are you talking about? All I see is you and Jasper and…" she stopped as her eyes met mine. "Oh, I'm sorry I didn't see you there. Rosalie Hale, nice to meet you." She said as she held out her hand for me to shake it.

"Bella Swan. Nice to meet too." I replied while accepting her hand shake.

"Well Bella, I must apologize for not seeing you there. It was just I usually don't acknowledge other people's presence so I tend to ignore faces that are not my friends. I'm really, really sorry." She said apologizing.

"It's ok." I replied.

"Well Rosie, we better head for class. Mr. Jefferson is going to have our head if we don't get there. Bella are you coming?" Emmett asked me.

"Yeah sure." I replied.

"Well, I have Math now so see you guys at lunch and it was a pleasure meeting you, Bella." Jasper said.

"Bye!" Rosalie and Emmett said.

"Likewise Jasper." I said as I followed Rosalie and Emmett towards what I would presume as building 3 with the number 3 imprinted on it. Wow! I didn't really someone's help after all. I could have just looked for the number. What an idiot? Oh well, at least I met two new people. Rosalie and Jasper! They seem nice unlike the people in Phoenix who used to pester me on my first day by asking tons and tons of questions. What I can't seem to get out of my mind is the fact that Rosalie and the principle didn't see me. It was like I was invisible to them or something. This would actually be nice if it weren't terrifying. I always wished for people not to pester me for being the new girl. So far no one had called me the new girl. Well, I'm not even in my first class yet so what am I to judge. I couldn't be that lucky that people wouldn't recognize me as the new girl, could I?

**AN: I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. But I think that I should tell you that I would probably would only update on Friday and the weekends. I hope you don't mind. I hope you like this chapter. I know the story is moving very slowly but I hope its okay. This is my first fanfiction…so please don't be disappointed if I don't meet with your expectation. Once again, you don't have to review if you don't want to…Thanks for reading…**


	6. Chapter 5: Class Disaster

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own twilight...this disclaimer is for the whole story.**

**Chapter 5: Class Disaster**

When we reached our Government Class in Building 3, I heard lots of noise coming from inside. Emmett and Rosalie didn't seem to be bothered about it. When we entered, to my intense surprise and to Emmett's amusement, we found our teacher Mr. Jefferson fast asleep on the desk. Emmett cracked a giggle while Rosalie just rolled her eyes and headed to her seat. The whole class was filled with conversations. There were people at every corner with their own small little group.

I searched around the class for an empty desk which I could use but there wasn't any. Suddenly the teacher woke up from his daze when a paper airplane accidentally hit him right on his forehead. Most of them were trying to hide their laughter but Mr. Jefferson caught them. He looked like he had a long night yesterday. He had bags under his eyes and they were always drooping. He must have been up really late doing something. Or unless this is his usually self then I would have to learn this class without any help from this guy. He rubbed his eyes then called the attention of the class.

"Ok, class…we have a new student coming here so everyone arrange your desk so that the student will have a good impression of this class…Now get to work." He said while yawning every other time.

"Yes, a new student. I hope it's a girl. I would definitely dig her." I heard one guy said which really disgusted me.

"Totally, once you're done, let me have a shot." His friend said which really made me want to puke. I mean are all students in this school like this. Ugh! I hope not. I made a mental note to avoid them. Then it hit me that the teacher didn't know I was here already. I guess I have to make my presence known here. I saw the teacher searching through some papers which were really disorganized. What kind of teacher is this guy? How did he even get this job? I went up to the teacher and spoke.

"Good morning, sir. I'm Isabella Swan but I prefer Bella and I'm the new student here." I said to the teacher with a fake smile on my face. He looked up but didn't acknowledge my presence instead he looked around for a while then his gaze dropped back to his pile of disorganized papers. I was really irritated. I was standing right in front of the teacher and he couldn't see me. Ugh! First the principle, then Rosalie now my Government teacher! Who else?

I just had to ask! Just then, a student with black greasy hair got up from his seat and headed towards me. He looked as though he was going to give me a welcome introduction to this school. Well I already had that but he didn't need to know it. Just then he walked right into me and you can guess what happened. Actually this might be a surprise to you. And I didn't fall. Amazing huh? Well not really. Anyway that guy walked into me but I didn't fall. Instead a fell a few steps back. He didn't seem to realize that he had almost knocked the new student down. He went straight to the teacher's table and began talking to the teacher about the new student which just so happened to be ME! Doesn't anyone here know that I'm the new student? Well, silly me. I can't expect the whole school to know who I am. I guess I just have to tell them.

I'm normally not a violence person and I rarely push people around but I'm seriously annoyed right now. To make things worse, I could hear laughing coming from the back of the class. I turned around to confront that person when I saw Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper all staring at me trying to hide their laughter. I ignored them I pushed my way past the greasy haired boy in front of me to get to the teacher.

"Excuse me!" I said as I slam my hand on the teacher's desk. This time the teacher twisted his gaze from the greasy haired boy to face mine. Then to my intense annoyance he started to acknowledge my presence. I felt the sudden urge to slap his face but I held it back. I just moved here and I didn't want to ruin my first impression.

"Yes, miss. How can I help you?" He said with an irritated smile on his face because I disturbed him while he was having a conversation with the greasy haired boy. You know I can't keep calling this guy greasy haired boy. I have to find out his name.

"Yes, hold on just a minute." I said as I turned to face the greasy hair…the guy next to me. "What is your name?" I asked him with a fake smile on my face.

"E-Eric?" He answered which sounded more like a question.

"Eric! Thanks. Bella." I didn't want to be rude considering I just asked a random person his name. I then turned to face the teacher who was staring at me with what appeared to be pure annoyance.

"Yes?" He said clearly annoyed.

"As I was saying. My name is Bella Swan and I am the new girl here at Forks High." I said loudly but not shouting at my teacher. He raised his eyes brows at me then gave me a smile.

"Well then Miss Swan, it's a great pleasure to finally meet you. Why didn't you make your presence known to us?" He said. That did it. I am usually not a bad tempered person but that was just taking it too far.

"I DID! I TOLD JUST 5 MINUTES AGO THAT I'M BELLA, THE NEW STUDENT HERE AND YOU COMPLETELY IGNORED MY EXCISTENCE." I yelled at the teacher because I couldn't take it anymore. It was like I was invisible to practically most people at Forks High with the exception of Rosalie, Jasper and Emmett.

"Well, Miss Swan don't you have a temper. I must have been talking to Eric here to not notice your appearance. Don't take it too personally." He said with a little smile on his face. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down then answered the teacher.

"Yes, I guess that must have happened. So sorry for yelling at you. I…was just nervous for my first day here." I said between my teeth. After I said, the three people whom acknowledge my presence couldn't hold on to their laughter anymore. They began laughing so loudly the teacher had to yell at them to be quiet so that the new girl could have some peace. This sent them on another round of laughter. I couldn't stop myself from laughing so I laughed along with them. The other students stared at them like they were a bunch of crazy people, me included. Well at least I got to be crazy with people I know. Anyway back to the subject at hand. The teacher accepted my apology and sent me to an empty desk at the back which just so happens to be in front of Rosalie and Emmett and right next to Jasper. I walked over there and just as I was glad I didn't make a complete fool of myself, I tripped.

I was waiting for to meet my friend, the ground again but instead I…well you can guess what happened. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that a pair of strong arms caught hold of me before I could hit the ground. Well, you're wrong. Jacob's not here. I wish he was, then I would have a friend who actually knows the real me. I don't purposely hide my personality, it's just that every new place I've been to, the people there ignore your personality and just go straight for your looks, or sometimes even money. It's really quite annoying actually to have to pretend to be somebody for your friends. If I actually counted the real friends I have, I would have at least 1 close friend and a few other friends who knew the real me. And to top it of, all of them are from Forks and they all live in La Push. I've last seen them, 3 years ago; it was just before my step-dad got the baseball job. That was where it all began, the beginning of the pretenses and the ending of the real me. Since then, I have lost my real self and I have no chance in getting it back. I could hardly remember what my personality was. I doubt Jake and the other guys will remember my personality. Conclusion, I have lost myself before I even had the chance to explore it. It's actually quite sad when I think about it but I have learnt to accept it. It usually takes me a whole day to come up with a new personality that would help me fit in here. But considering the fact that hardly anyone knows I exists, I'm going with the quiet, shy girl who tends to be avoided by others.

Sorry I was giving you all the details about my life. What a wrong time to think about it. Anyway where was I? _Think! Think! Think!_ Ah, yes! I was just about to meet my friend, the ground when I hit my head at the side of my desk. Well, that's not how I usually meet my friend. I usually meet my friend right on instead of with a throbbing head and blood gushing out. Wait! What? Blood!?! Oh, no. The room started spinning around me. I heard many people laughing but I couldn't make out who it was. Then I heard the teacher's voice in the air.

"Well, looks like our new student is a little clumsy and she faints at the sight of blood." The teacher said while laughing with the rest of the class. Seriously, I am going to get that teacher fired. Which teacher laughs at a student when they are injured? Oh, wait. Him! The scenery around me started becoming fuzzy and blur. I heard a faint sound in the background.

"Oh my gosh, Bella. Are you alright? Wake up, Bella. Oh my gosh. Emmett, can you carry her to the nurses office. Jasper, follow me. I need you to ask A… .o ..l. C….s.." The voice sounded familiar. But I couldn't quite place it. I couldn't hear the last part of their conversation, whoever they were because then the darkness surrounded me.

I woke up to a sound that was beeping at a steady but annoying pace. I couldn't really open my eyes because room was too bright. When I finally managed to open my eyes, I took notice of my surroundings. There was a couch towards the right side of this room. The room was painted in white color which looked familiar in a way but I just couldn't think because my head was throbbing so hard that it could burst any second. Oh and who could forget that annoying, beeping sound that was coming from a machine that looked oddly familiar just like the color of the wall. It was then that I realized that I was visiting another close friend of mine. The Hospital. But how did I get here? Why was I here in the first place? Ok, I know what you're thinking. That was a silly question to ask. Right?

I tried to recall what incident that occurred that caused me to be here. All I remembered was that I was at school and that I met some new people. What were their names? _Elmo, Raven, and Justin?_ No that couldn't be it. _Elmo?_ Where did that come from? Must be my head. What about _Jaiper, Rosanne, and Emman_? Ok, seriously where am I getting all this wacky names from? Great! Now I'm using the word wacky. I think I better relax for a while or else my brain would explode. That's it! _Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett!_ How could I forget them? It's all coming back to me now. I was heading to class with Emmett and Rosalie, Jasper had some other class, and I couldn't remember what it was. Anyway, the teacher was a total annoyance. I have to find a way to sue that guy. Ugh! I was walking to my desk when…I tripped and…hit my head at the side of my desk. _Wow!_ I thought as I rolled my eyes. First the yelling in class, then the trip. Could I get anymore pathetic? I guess now I'll be known as the school's jester. Anyone up for entertainment, just watch me walk. You are bound to crack up. I laughed at myself. Then I heard a velvety laugh coming from my right side. When I turned to see who it was I saw him.

"Hi, my name is Edward Cullen."

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I must be dreaming or having a nightmare. Pinch me somebody. I didn't mean that literally, of course. I didn't mean to stare at him but could he get any uglier. I mean the clothes he was wearing, didn't he have anything to wear. I know I said I wasn't a fashion person but I still know what looks nice and what doesn't. I just don't wearing it that's all. Anyway back to the subject. The clothes he was wearing and what he did to his hair. I just stared at him with a shock expression. I opened up my mouth to say…

**AN: I'm sorry about that. I just like doing this. I wonder if anyone of you could guess what she's going to say. I hope you like this chapter. I know the story is moving very slowly but I hope its okay. This is my first fanfiction…so please don't be disappointed if I don't meet with your expectation. Once again, you don't have to review if you don't want to…Thanks for reading…**


	7. Chapter 6: Meeting Everyone

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own twilight...this disclaimer is for the whole story.**

**Chapter 6: Meeting everyone**

_Previously: _

_When I turned to see who it was I saw him. "Hi, my name is Edward Cullen."_

_I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I must be dreaming or having a nightmare. Pinch me somebody. I didn't mean that literally, of course. I didn't mean to stare at him but could he get any uglier. I mean the clothes he was wearing, didn't he have anything else to wear. I know I said I wasn't a fashion person but I still know what looks nice and what doesn't. I just don't like wearing it that's all. Anyway back to the subject. The clothes he was wearing and what he did to his hair. I just stared at him with a shock expression. I opened up my mouth to say…_

"What is this no good? I was going for a really cool look. I didn't make it work, did I? Ugh! She's is so going to laugh at me." He said while staring at me with a worried look.

"Jake, what did you do to yourself? You look like…actually I have no idea what you look like. All I know is that, yeah you're right. Leah is so going to laugh at you." I said while laughing at the outfit ensemble that Jake was wearing. I couldn't laugh for long because my head was hurting so bad. When I closed my eyes to relax my throbbing head, I heard someone speak.

"Hi, I'm Edward Cullen." A velvet voice said. I thought I must have dreamt that sound because it couldn't be real.

"Hi, I'm Jacob Black." Jacob replied him. "Just asking, I know this is very random but does this outfit make you want to laugh at me?" Jacob asked with a hint of worry in his voice. I think he must be asking Edward because he already asked me and all he got was a laugh from me. I don't think I could have given him a clearer answer than that. I thought to myself while stifling my laughter. Unfortunately, Jacob caught me laughing at him and glared at me. _Ouch!_ I would have been scared if it weren't for the outfit he was wearing. I couldn't hold my laughter any longer. Now I was laughing loudly and I didn't really care about my throbbing head. I just needed to get it out of my system. Now I know how Jacob felt when I told him about the falling in the washing machine incident. How I would never forgive myself for telling him that. To make things worse for Jake, the guy named Edward was laughing at him too. Trust me, if you were seeing what I'm seeing, you would be laughing your head off as well. I would try to paint you a picture but that would cause me to go on another round of laughter and I don't think Jake would really like that. Sorry! Maybe I'll tell you some other time, when Jake's not around at least.

Anyway, where was I? Sorry about that. I always talk too much and I get distracted a lot. I can easily go from one topic to another and then I would totally forget the original topic I was talking about. See, here I go again. Ok, back to the topic at hand. Both of us, me and the guy named Edward managed to stop laughing at Jake's outfit after a while. Finally, Jake got the hint and left us to go change into something more appropriate.

I couldn't ignore my throbbing head any longer. The pain was excruciating. I pressed my hand against my head and winced slightly. Unfortunately, Edward noticed, so he asked me.

"What's wrong? Does your head hurt? I can call the nurse in to examine it." He said worriedly. I just shook my head with my eyes still close trying to bear the pain I was feeling. He just nodded and kept quiet for a while. The room was filled with silence, not that I was complaining; I was just making an observation. The only sound that was heard was the beeping of my heart through the machine on my right. After a while, he finally spoke just to try to make conversation.

"Sorry, I didn't get to introduce myself officially. You little friend interrupted me earlier with his little display of his lack of fashion." He said trying to stifle a laughter with that image probably burnt in his head. He just had to bring that up again. I let out a small giggle and that was it. I had already let it out. It is still funny when I think about it but it's not that funny that I want to laugh my head, unlike Jake, who does all the time. I hope he actually manages to find something decent to wear to his date with Leah. I really don't want him to make a fool of himself like what I did to him at Thriftway.

"Anyway, as I was saying. If he wants, I could always ask my sister to help with his attire. She's an expert at fashion. Oh, sorry. My name is Edward Cullen." He said with that lovely velvet voice. I didn't know such a voice existed.

"My name is Bella Swan." I replied.

"Nice to meet you, Bella." He said. Then he turned his gaze away from me and towards the door like he was waiting for someone to appear. While he was looking away, I took this opportunity to study him carefully. He had gorgeous bronze hair that was in a disarray style. He wore clothes that stuck to his skin that showed off some of his muscles. Not that I was checking out or anything, just observing. I did say I got distracted easily. I couldn't see his eyes though since they were gazing out the door. But overall he looked pretty gorgeous, if you don't mind me saying.

Just then, his gaze turned to face mine. I was staring intimately into them. His sparking emerald eyes bore into mine as though he was looking into my soul. Those eyes were so deep that it held some sort of mystery in them. Our intense gaze towards each other was interrupted when the door burst open to reveal my three friends, Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper. Edward turned to face them but before giving me his crooked smile. With that I turned away to stare at the opposite wall with blush creeping on my cheek. Unfortunately for me, Emmett noticed me blushing. So he asked.

"Hey, Bella. You're finally awake. Why are you blushing. Did you and Eddie boy here do something?" He asked me.

"No we didn't do anything. Get your mind out of the gutter. And for the last time, my name is not Eddie. It's Edward." Edward said.

"Whatever Eddie. Actually I was talking to dear Bella over there, who is currently looking at the wall like it has a hidden message over it." Emmett replied with a smug smile on his face. "So Bella, what you looking at?" He asked me.

"Nothing." I mumbled shyly.

"Sure! Are you sure, you're not thinking about a certain someone in this room?" He said clearly trying to irritate me. Rosalie and Jasper were laughing at Emmett's little question.

"Of course not, Emmett." I said. Surprisingly I didn't blush when I said this.

"Fine!" Emmett said clearly disappointed at my answer. "We just came in here to tell Eddie boy over here that he can leave now. We'll take over. Unless, of course, he wants to stay here and spend more time with a little certain someone." He asked Edward.

"Emmett enough wi" Edward's answer was cut off by my reply.

"Actually Emmett, I think I need to talk to Edward for awhile." I said while motioning Edward to come closer to me with my index finger. Edward looked confused for a while then he came over.

"Play along, okay?" I whispered to Edward. He just nodded.

"Emmett, I was going to say that Edward can leave if he wants to but he told me otherwise. Could you guys give us some privacy? We have some unfinished business to attend to. If you know what I mean!" I said to Emmett while giving him a wink.

Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper stared us like we were kidding but then I gave them a sincere smile and they actually believed it. They went out of the room but I could hear them moving about outside and pressing their ears against the hospital door.

"Thanks Edward but that was the beginning of the plan. They are outside the door listening to us, so it's time to put plan into action. Play along with me." I whispered into Edward's ear. He nodded.

"Sooo, Edward should we continue where we left off?" I asked in a seductive voice. I had to control my laughter. Edward looked shocked at first but then he got the message.

"Well, Bella. I think we should continue where we left off. I never got to finish satisfying you." He said while stifling a laughter. I was pressing my lips together as hard as I could to avoid laughing.

"Oh, Edward. Stop that. I'm ticklish over there." I moaned. Both of us were trying so hard not to laugh.

"But baby, all of us deserve to have a little fun now and then." He said.

"Well then since you feel the same way I do, why don't we kick it up a notch?" I asked Edward while controlling my laughter. Edward was shaking slightly, trying to contain his laughter.

"You mean, take it all off. Won't you head hurt?" He asked.

"Don't worry about my head. It doesn't hurt that bad. I will need some help of course. Are you willing to help me out of it?" I said. We rubbed the bed sheet against each other to produce some sort of sound.

"Oh, oh Edward." I moaned loudly. Before Edward could come up with another line, the door burst open. Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper and another girl were staring at us with utter confusion. I couldn't contain my laughter anymore. I began laughing and Edward joined me. It was really funny to see their expression when they entered the room. Emmett was the first one to speak.

"You mean you guys…you didn't…you." Emmett tried to come up with a coherent sentence but just couldn't.

"Of course not, Emmett. I can't believe you guys believed what you heard. That's what you get for keeping you mind in the gutter. Think logically, Emmett…" I said while laughing at Emmett. Before I could continue, Jasper interrupted me.

"But we heard the sounds and…and…" Jasper couldn't even continue that sentence because his voice was drowned by the sound of Edward's and mine laughter.

"I can't believe you guys. Would you think I would do something like that? I have known you guys since pre-school. I would never do something like that. But our prank was worth it. You should have seen the look on your face. It was priceless." Edward said while laughing.

"Wait, you mean this whole thing was just a prank?" Emmett asked.

"No duh, Emmett." I said while trying to calm myself down after laughing so much. It was no use, after Emmett's little comment, everyone started laughing. It was around 5 minutes later that everyone finally managed to calm down. Emmett once again broke the silence.

"You guys are going to pay for this." He said staring at Edward and me.

"Ooh, Emmett, we are soo scared." Edward said while faking to be scared. It was pretty hilarious. The other girl who was at the door earlier came over to me.

"Hi, my name is Alice Cullen." She said. She wasn't a very tall person. She looked more like a pixie than a human. She had black cropped hair, sticking in every direction. It looked really good on her.

"Bella Swan." I replied her.

"Well, I don't think we have officially introduced ourselves. Well, I'm Alice; my brothers are Emmett and Edward. Jasper is my boyfriend and his sister is Rose. Rose is Emmett's girlfriend." She said.

"And Eddie boy over there is currently single." Emmett said to me while giving me a wink. I blushed at his comment. While everyone with the exception of Edward laughed at his comment. Edward just glared at Emmett.

Just then a doctor entered the room. Everyone just continued laughing. The doctor looked at everyone than shook his head slightly. He then came over to me.

"Well, Isabella, you hit head pretty hard but it should be fine." He said while looking at some papers in his hands.

"It's Bella." I said at the same time as Edward did. This just everyone on another round of laughter.

"Well, Bella. Since you seem to be feeling much better, you can leave now, but I advice you not to go to school today. You can just go home and rest." He said.

"Thanks, Doctor…"

"Doctor Carlisle Cullen." He said while giving me a warm smile.

"You mean Edward's dad." I said surprisingly. I saw Emmett nudge Jasper saying "She's said Edward's name again." They all just laughed at this. Unfortunately for me, I blushed. Edward didn't seem to hear what they said.

"Yes, Edward's, Alice's and Emmett's dad." Dr. Carlisle Cullen replied. "Well, if there isn't anything else, you can leave now." He said with that warm smile on his face. I just nodded.

I got up from the bed only to trip slightly. Dr. Carlisle Cullen caught me and steadied me.

"Thanks." I mumbled.

"No problem. Just try to be more careful." He said. I just nodded again.

I headed out the door only to realize that there was somebody following. I turned around to confront that person. I found all of them except for Dr. Cullen to be following.

"What are you guys doing?" I asked.

"You'll see." Alice said with a menacing smile plastered on her face. Uh-oh, this cannot be good. I tried to bolt for it but Emmett caught me and wouldn't let me go from his grasp.

"Let me go, Emmett." I said trying to squeeze my way out of Emmett's grasp.

"No can do little sis." He said.

"Come on Bella, we are going to have a little fun." Alice said with the same evil smile on her face. I gave up knowing that fighting against them with result in me losing. Alice just smiled knowing she and the rest of them won. What have I gotten myself into.

**AN: I hope you like this chapter. I know the story is moving very slowly but I hope its okay. This is my first fanfiction…so please don't be disappointed if I don't meet with your expectation. Once again, you don't have to review if you don't want to…Thanks for reading…**


	8. Chapter 7: Realization

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own twilight...this disclaimer is for the whole story.**

**Chapter 7: Realization**

"Emmett, could you strap Bella in the car? I don't want her to escape." Alice said while staring at me menacingly. Before Emmett could reply Alice, I cut into their conversation.

"Um…you don't have to follow me home. I can drive on my own, you know?" I said shyly. I completely forgot that I'm supposed to be playing a quiet, shy girl in this school. That thought completely slipped out of my mind when I was in the hospital. _Must be the headache._ I thought.

"No, no, Bella. You aren't going home. What are you going to do at home all alone? You still have plenty of time before school is over. You are coming to our house?" Alice said.

"Um…but don't you all still have to go to school? And…um besides, I have plenty of things to do at home." I answered.

"Well, actually Bella. We don't have to go to school for the rest of the day. We asked Carlisle whether we could take the day off and spend it with you. You know, to get to know you better. And he said yes, of course. He wouldn't want you to be all alone when you could injure yourself even more." Alice replied with a smile creeping onto her face. I knew no matter what, I would lose this battle with Alice. Even though I just met her, she seems to me the kind of person that would always get what they want in the end. So in the end, I let out a sigh telling Alice that she would have her way eventually.

"Yay! Ok Emmett put her in Edward's car. Rose and Jazz will follow us with Rose's convertible." Alice said, more like commanded. To my intense surprise everyone complied. We all were headed towards their cars with my still in Emmett's grasp when I remembered something.

"What about my truck, I can't just leave it here." I asked.

"Oh, well, where is your truck? Emmett and I can take it. You just get your butt in the Volvo this minute." Alice said while yelling a bit at the end. Wow, she can be incredibly loud for a small person.

"Um…Alice, can I take my truck, please?" I asked slightly embarrassed that they might degrade my truck when they see it. I'm perfectly content with it. I prefer not having any fancy stuff that most rich kids have these days. Woah! Why does this thought sound familiar? I'm sure I came across it before. _'Not having any fancy stuff_.' I just can't quite place it. Oh well! I'm sure it's nothing of importance. I bet it came from a movie or something. But I can't shake the feeling that I recognize this thought from somewhere. I was pulled out of my reverie when I felt someone shaking me with such incredulous force.

"Bella! Bella, are you there. Woo Hoo!" I heard a voice say. I recognized the voice as Emmett's but before I could reply, I felt a sharp pang of pain on the left side of my cheek.

"Ouch!" I said while placing my palm over my victimize cheek. I searched for the culprit and I found Jasper, Rose, and Edward controlling their laughter, Emmett laughing his head off and Alice with and all too innocent expression on her face. I realized who the culprit was and I turned to confront that person. I was staring, well actually glaring at that person with intense force for a while before that person realized I was glaring at him.

"Emmett, how could you slap me?" I asked Emmett. He stood there frozen at my question. He looked at me confusingly. I continued to glare at him. And when I thought that he finally would surrender and admit that he was the suspected culprit, he laughed at me. To make things worse, the rest were laughing as while. To my intense suspicions, Alice still had that all too innocent expression plastered on her face. It finally dawned on me that I had wrongly accused Emmett of doing something that Alice had done. I couldn't sum up with a glare because everyone was laughing at me. I couldn't help but join in the laughter even though they were laughing at me. There isn't any crime in laughing is there. Because if there is, then I would have been arrested many, many times. Mostly because of Jake. If you were a passerby, you would have thought we were crazy. But I couldn't care less. I was having too much fun.

I realized after a while, that I shouldn't be laughing like this. I only do this with Jake and friends in La Push. They are the only one that truly knows who I really am. Well known would have been the better word. I bet they had pretty much forgotten I even existed. They were the only ones I could really call friends. Most of the other people I met, liked me for my other personality. Technically my pretenses. I pretended to be a cheerleader, a jock, a girl jock for your information, I even pretended to be a nerd, not that there is anything wrong with being a nerd. It's just that those people liked me for who I pretended to be. Actually, I'm not really sure they even liked me at all. It was then that I realized that I had to keep up the pretenses, not that I wanted to, but because I had no other choice. Who else could I be? I completely have forgotten who I really am. I doubt Jake and his friends would remember. Even though Jake looked like he still remembered me. No, that's impossible. Who would want to remember me? I'm just plain, old Bella. When I realized this, I immediately stopped laughing. The smile on my face earlier transformed into a frown. The thought_ 'who would want to remember me?'_ was still floating around in my head. Everyone immediately stopped laughing and just stared at me with confusion at my change of mood. Alice was the first to try to lighten up the mood; well that was what I thought it was before she spoke her words.

"Bella, are you okay?" She asked me worriedly. NO, I have to stop thinking that they actually care about me. They don't, remember your thought earlier. Who would want to remember me? Or better yet, who would want to help me remember me? _Okay, Bella stop right this instance. You are in a new school now; you are hanging out with a bunch of new people. They will definitely try to find out more about you, so you have to keep up with the quiet, shy girl in the school. That was how the school treated you_. Ok, I know they didn't exactly say that but it was clearly there when mainly everyone in school thought you were invisible, with the exceptions of these people, of course. So now you have to show them the quiet, shy girl you are Bella, okay? Wow, I'm talking to myself. Could I get anymore pathetic? It was after a while that I finally realized that I haven't answered Alice's question. I looked at all their faces and it showed the same expression. Worry! Surprisingly, even the big goof ball Emmett had that expression. I must have really terrified them with my sudden mood change. I nodded and gave them a weak smile before making my way towards my truck. Everyone then collected their expression before following right behind me. I could hear some whispering sounds at the back but I just ignored them. _Great, you already messed up your first impression. Now they're gonna think you're crazy, Bella._ If I keep up with this talking to myself thing, then I would definitely be crazy.

Before I could enter my truck, Alice stopped me.

"Bella, do you want to come over to our house or would you rather just stay at home and rest?" Alice asked. She is giving me a choice?! _WOW!_

"Um…thanks for the invite but I would prefer to go home and rest a while." I said while giving her a smile. Alice's face fell a bit when she heard what I said.

"Oh, ok! Maybe next time?" Alice asked.

"Um…yeah I guess so." I replied.

"Ok then, bye Bella. See you tomorrow." Alice said while giving me a hug.

"Bye." I said to everyone while getting into my truck. As a drove out of the parkway, I saw all their expressions. Some were filled with worry, others with confusion. I waved to them before heading home. Once I was out of their sight, I relaxed a little bit. Why was it so hard for me to play a quiet, shy girl around them? I always slip up here and there when I'm talking to them. I was pretty good at playing a cheerleader, girl jock, and a nerd. Why is this so hard? All I have to do is keep quiet most of the time. Ugh! I wonder if I should ask Jake whether he would help me. He knows about all my pretenses. After thinking about it for a while, I made up my mind to ask for his help later on. Right now, I just wanted to get home and rest.

When I finally reached home, I parked my car in the driveway and entered the house. It was pretty quiet. Charlie was definitely at work. He only comes back around 7.00pm. I headed upstairs to my room. I didn't feel like sleeping. So I decided to check my email. I had 1 email from my mom. It said:

_Bella, _

_Phil and I are moving to Chicago. Phil got a job there as a baseball coach for a high school team. I hope you are enjoying your time there. Charlie is treating you good, right? Write to me soon. Bye baby. I love you. _

_Mom_

I replied my mom's email. It said:

_Mom, _

_I'm doing great. Charlie is treating me fine, mom. Don't worry. Tell Phil, I said congratulations on his new job. You remember Jake right? He and his dad came over the first night for dinner. Jake is still the same old kid. Only he grew. A lot. Bye, I love you and Phil. Take care._

_Bella._

I didn't need to tell her about my little accident. She would get really freaked out and beg for me to come with her to Chicago. I quickly sent the email and headed to my bed to take a short nap.

When I woke up, my stomach was growling. The alarm clock on my bed side table displayed the time. It was 9.00pm. 9.00PM!! Oh my gosh! I didn't make Charlie dinner. I rushed downstairs only to find Charlie missing. I rushed to the kitchen thinking he would be there preparing himself dinner. Wait! What I'm I thinking? Charlie can't even cook. When I entered the kitchen, I saw a note on the table. It read:

_Bella, _

_I have gone to Billy's house for dinner. I heard about your accident. We are going to have a discussed that when I get back._

_Charlie_

Thank goodness Charlie is having a proper dinner. I wouldn't have to worry about him tonight. But then again, he said he would discuss my little accident with me tonight. How did he even know about that? I bet the school called and told him. I bet that bone head Mr. Jefferson had something to do with it. I'm sure he would find someway of embarrassing me. I definitely have to find a way to get that guy in trouble. How did he become a teacher anyway? He's so mean and irritating. Ugh! I can't believe he is going to be teaching me Government this whole year. ONE WHOLE YEAR! Ugh! I can't take that. _Breathe, Bella. Breathe_. I said trying to calm myself down. Don't need to get my temper up. I would probably end up hurting myself even more. Just as I was heading to watch some TV, the phone rang.

"Hello?" I said.

"Hello, is this Isabella Marie Swan?" A voice asked. I sounded like a man's voice. Who would be calling me by my first name?

"Yes…who's speaking?" I asked worried a little.

"That is not important. I just wanted to let you know, I know who you are." The voice said. After that the phone was dead. I was still in shock because the phone was still in my hands.

Many questions kept on bouncing in my head. Who is this guy? How did he know my name? And what did he mean when he said I know who you are? One thing is for sure, someone is watching me. And I don't know what to do about it.

**AN: I hope you like this chapter. I know the story is moving very slowly but I hope its okay. So, who do you think made that call? This is my first fanfiction…so please don't be disappointed if I don't meet with your expectation. Once again, you don't have to review if you don't want to…Thanks for reading… **


	9. Chapter 8: Surrounded by Thoughts

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own twilight...this disclaimer is for the whole story.**

**Chapter 8: Surrounded by Thoughts**

The next day I woke up a little earlier than usual because of a nightmare that I had. Suddenly yesterdays events flooded back into my mind and I realized it wasn't a dream. It was real. The mysterious phone call. The creepy voice. All of that was real. I started to panic. The thought of someone knowing who I was terrified me a little. I pulled myself together before the panic could increase. I couldn't tell Charlie. I know it is stupid not to tell my dad about it. Even though he is the police chief of Forks, I still couldn't tell him. Something deep down inside of me told me not to. I didn't want it to be a burden to him. I know I sound a little crazy. Ok maybe 'a little' is an understatement. Normal people would actually tell their mom or dad, but some how I just couldn't. I pushed that thought aside for a while. I have to act like nothing happened so that Charlie would not get suspicious when I walk downstairs. Come to think of it, I think Charlie would have left the house by now. I took a shower and changed before heading downstairs. As I predicted, Charlie's cruiser was no where insight. I grabbed an apple before heading to my truck. My beloved red Chevy truck. Sorry I sometimes get carried away thinking about my truck. It's absolutely perfect for someone like me. I entered the car and turn on the ignition. I then drove of to Forks High for the second time.

As I was driving, I started to think about the things that happened yesterday. Entering school for the first time, meeting Emmett again, meeting his friend, Jasper and girlfriend, Rosalie, the horrible teacher, Mr. Jefferson, the incident at class, meeting Edward, laughing at Jake, meeting Alice, thinking deeply about the situation with the Cullens and the Hales, and then heading home. WOW! That's a lot of events that could happen in one day. Oh, and don't forget the mysterious phone call. Creepy. I shuddered. Thinking about all this made me realize that meeting everyone yesterday was the best thing that happen. Everyone was so nice and they seem to like me. I can't actually believe that. They don't even know me, how are they supposed to like me? I don't even know me. I just wish I never pretended to be somebody I'm not in the first place. Then I wouldn't be in this situation. The Cullens and the Hales seem like real nice people and I really don't want to end up hurting them. Thinking that they were all so friendly towards me and telling me all their secrets and the fun that we were going to have. And what do I give them in return, a friend who pretends to be somebody she's not. It is just a crime. They would be hurt badly thinking they had trusted me and all I did was lie. I would never lie if I didn't have to. But I don't have any other option. Telling them would turn out horribly. They would think which kind of idiot does not even know her own self. They would definitely make fun of me. I could do that but I've already made that mistake once. I'm not about to do it again. Pretending worked for a while, because at some point during my pretenses I realized the people I hung around with weren't my true friends. So it didn't matter to me if I lied to them. But the Cullens and the Hales. There's just something different about them. It has nothing to do with their physical appearance. It is their personality. They all are really nice people and it would hurt me badly if I hurt them. No, I would not hurt them because I'm going to try really hard. They would never find out I'm a pretense.

Once I had made up my mind, I turn my head a little to take a glance outside. Then I realized that I had driven past the school grounds. Again. I hope I don't make a habit of this. Luck was on my side today, well considering on how you look at it. If you look at it on the good side, I woke up early so I'm not late to school even though I drove past it. If you look on the bad side though, I woke up early because of an event I thought was a dream. So technically it depended on how you looked at it. I'm definitely sticking with the good side of it. I would like to forget the phone call for a while.

The parking lot was crowded with people walking here and there. I found an empty space next to a silver Volvo. It looked like the one Alice almost forced me into. I remember her saying that this was Edward's car. Well this proves they must be here already. I parked my truck next to the Volvo. If you look from another person's point of view, my truck would definitely look like scrap metal compared to his Volvo. Well, I wouldn't care. It is my baby. And nothing you say will change my mind about it.

A few drops of water splattered on the windshield of my truck indicating that it was raining. I quickly grabbed my bag and raincoat and headed inside. As I entered the door, the hallway was full of students crowding every corner. I tried to walk through it but every once in a while, I was pushed in different directions. I dropped a couple of times. It seems that those who pushed me down didn't see me in their way. It was like I was invisible. This helped me a little to get into my act. As I was going to play the quiet, shy girl that nobody knew existed. I was getting ready to put on my act when I saw Emmett and the rest of them standing at the end of the hallway. Emmett saw me and started waving and motioning for me to head towards them. Well, he doesn't have to tell me twice. I was about to wave back when someone walked right into me again. And well you know the rest. I tripped, that person didn't acknowledge me, blah blah blah. I don't need to give you all the details. You got the idea. I was about to get myself back on my feet when two arms grabbed me and put me on his shoulder. I felt like I was a sack of cement being carried of by a builder. Ok ignore my last comment it didn't really make any sense at all.

Surprisingly, as Emmett carried me of towards the rest of the Cullens and the Hales, no one was watching this. I mean if some guy just grabs you and hoist you up on his back that would definitely create a scene. But no one even bothered to look at Emmett. It was as though they couldn't see me. Oh yeah! I forgot that I'm practically invisible to student body here.

Finally, for what seem like ages, Emmett put me down on my feet. And as you know the klutz I am, I fell. The Cullens and the Hales were silently laughing at me. Even though I couldn't hear them, I could see their bodies shaking slightly. Edward offered his hand and I accepted it. When I was safely on my feet, once again, I picked up my books that fell when I did and headed of to class. The Cullens and the Hales just followed behind me before they separated to their different classes. Unfortunately for me, Alice was in the same class as me. So she followed me until we reached our class. I know it is sort of weird not to want someone you know be in the same class as you but I couldn't risk them finding out I'm pretending to be someone I'm not. As I mentioned before, that would be a huge sin in my book.

All the way towards class, Alice didn't bother making conversation with me, which kind of surprised me a little. The last time I met Alice, she was full of chatter. And that was only yesterday. Something is wrong. _You don't think she figured something is different about me, do you?_ I thought to myself. No I couldn't be. She must have a lot on her mind right now.

When we entered class, most of the students were there. I did not realize the bell had already rung. I guess I was just too preoccupied by my thoughts. I stood at the edge of the doorway looking for a place to sit. I didn't want to sit with someone I didn't know because that person would either ask me a lot of question or would not know my existence. I glanced at the back of the class and I saw an empty place right next to Alice. Well, at least I'm sitting with someone I know. I hope she doesn't mind though. I headed over to the table where Alice was sitting and said,

"Hi, I hope you don't mind but could I sit with you?" I asked shyly. Yes, this time I didn't forget my role.

"Hi Bella, of course you can sit here. I don't mind at all." Alice said suddenly cheerful. Well, I can see whatever occupied her mind earlier is now gone. She's back to her normal self.

I took a sit next to Alice and just stared at the white board. Around 10 seconds after I sat down, Alice did something I was hoping to avoid. She started bombarding me with question about me.

"So Bella, how do you like Forks? Is this your first time here? Where were you from before you came here? What do you like to do for fun? Have you met anyone else beside me? I just know we are going to be the bestest of friends." She said all that in one breath. I think she said something else too but I couldn't quite hear her. I was silently cursing to myself. I should have sat next to that girl with brown hair on the right corner of the classroom. She seems to be a quiet type too. I wanted to get up and go sit next to her but I didn't want to hurt Alice's feelings. After all, she would probably be hurt when she found out I was going to lie to her anyway. I was snapped out of my thoughts by a hand waving in front of me. I turned to see Alice glaring at me. She must have found out I wasn't listening to what she said. I gave her a weak smile before saying,

"I'm sorry Alice; you were speaking too fast for me to hear." I said shyly again. I didn't want to say 'Could you repeat it for me?' because I was trying to avoid telling her anything about my past or mainly about myself. But that was a lost cause considering that she would probably hang around me a lot. She did say that we were going to be the bestest of friends. Well, there goes my plan of avoiding them. Oh well, I will just have to try my best at keeping my act up. I couldn't be that hard. I could definitely fool them. I mean there are just people. It's not like they were going to be my true friends or anything. Unlike Jake and his gang. For all I know, these people were probably only hanging out with my out of pity because Emmett, Rosalie or Jasper must have told them that I was practically invisible to the whole student body.

What I didn't know was that trying to ignore them or avoiding question about me and my past or most of all fooling them was way harder than I imagined it would be.

**AN: I hope you like this chapter. I know the story is moving very slowly but I hope its okay. This is my first fanfiction…so please don't be disappointed if I don't meet with your expectations. If you have any suggestions or questions, don't be afraid to say it. I would really appreciate it. Once again, you don't have to review if you don't want to…Thanks for reading… **

**~*~ asn ~*~**


	10. Chapter 9: Vital Piece of Information

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own twilight...this disclaimer is for the whole story.**

**Chapter 9: One Small Piece of Information**

Throughout the whole day of school, my classes pretty much was the same. In every class, I ended up with one of the Cullens or the Hales. Sometimes more than one. And they all did the same thing as what Alice did during the first class. They asked multiple questions about me and my past. And in the end, I gave them the same answer I gave Alice. I immediately twisted the subject towards them and asked them about themselves and their pasts. By the end of the class, they had forgotten about the questions they asked me at the beginning of each class. They were too preoccupied by answering the questions I threw at them. Even Jasper, the one who I thought was the shy one answered all of my questions.

Lunch was hell. I entered the cafeteria and headed in line. I just grabbed an apple and a bottle of lemonade. I searched the cafeteria for an empty table. I couldn't find one. I decided to head to the library and stay there for lunch. Just as I was heading out the cafeteria doors, I felt someone's hand touch my shoulder. I turned around to see who it was. I was met with someone with ocean blue eyes. I was shocked to see this person standing in front of me. I thought she resented me. I guess I was just dreaming things. I pinched myself on the arm. _Ouch!_ I thought. No I'm not dreaming. It was really her. Rosalie asked me to join them at their table. I contemplated a while. These were the people I was trying to avoid, which was a cause to no avail. I wanted to head to the library where I could just go there and have a peaceful lunch without worrying about what to say to them or how to change the subject upon them.

I was going to reject Rosalie's offer when I turned to face their table. Big mistake! Everyone at that table was staring at me. Alice even had a puppy dog pout on her face that I couldn't refuse. In the end, I reluctantly headed over to their table. When I reached there, there were two extra people sitting there. I didn't know who they were. But I recognize one of them. She was the girl with brown hair I wanted to sit with when Alice started bombarding me with questions. She looked at me then smiled a warm friendly smile.

"Hi my name is Angela and this is Ben." She said to me.

"Hi, my name is Bella Swan." I said shyly. Wow, I didn't forget again. This is easier than I thought it would be. Maybe next time I won't have to try so hard. It would probably be natural in a few days or the most a week. And I thought I was losing my touch, silly me. A giggle slipped out of my mouth and everyone at the table was silent. They were staring at me. Alice was the first to break the silence.

"So Bella, what is so funny? Are you going to share it with us?" She said.

I just shook my head and fiddled with the bottle cap of my lemonade bottle. Everyone just stared at me for a while before going back to their conversations. I was silently counting the amount of time before the lunch was over. Why does time pass so slowly when I'm with them? In class what was an hour and a half seemed to drag on like it was 5 hours. Seriously, is time suddenly getting slower. I guess I'm just worried that they might ask certain things that I was hoping to avoid. Mainly about me and my past. Just as I thought my day couldn't get any better, it just did.

"So Bella, where were you from before you came here?" Angela asked. She and Ben seemed nice. Just like the Cullens and the Hales. I can't believe I'm adding more people to the 'people who I'm going to hurt' list. I really didn't want to tell her anything because she might pry for more information but she doesn't seem like the girl who would be looking for gossip. Maybe she just wanted to know, that's it.

As I was thinking this, I didn't realize that everyone at the table was listening in to our conversation. When I looked up, I was met with faces with curiosity imprinted on it. And one glaring expression. I guess it must have clicked to Alice that I didn't answer any of her questions earlier in class. They were all staring at me waiting for an answer. I was thinking really hard on how to divert their attention when the bell rang. Wow, saved by the bell how cliché. I quickly got up from the chair and left not before saying to them,

"I need to get to class, sorry." I said then I rushed out of the cafeteria. I was praying that none of them had any of the other classes with me. But with a school this small that was highly unlikely. Jasper had History with me and Ben had English with me. Jasper tried to ask why I didn't answer Angela's question during lunch but his attempt was interrupted by Mr. Mason asking Jasper a question. He couldn't answer it. So throughout the whole class, Jasper didn't ask me anything which I was grateful for. During English which I had with Ben, it was much better. Ben didn't say much. He just said the normal 'hello' and occasional question asked by the teacher for the whole class. That was mainly conversation between us. It was either he noticed I was uncomfortable with the topic about my past or he was just a shy person.

When class was over, I grabbed my books and rushed outside but not before saying goodbye to Ben. He seems to be such a nice boy. In a 'friend' kind of way, get your mind out of the gutter people. I was glad to see my beautiful red Chevy truck awaiting my return. But before I could reach my baby, I was blocked by a small, little, annoying pixie girl. She was glaring at me with full force. She may seem small but she really is intimidating. She glared at me while taping her toes waiting for me to say something. Before I could say anything, I was surrounded by the Cullens and the Hales. They were all staring at me. I guess they must have noticed how I changed the subject on all of them when the asked me a question. Couldn't they take a hint? Shouldn't they know by me changing the subject on them, is a sign that I don't like the topic about my past. But I guess they are just worried. I mean I wasn't like this when we first met. We were on great terms until I stopped it. It seemed wrong to befriend someone and pretend to be someone you're not around them. I should maybe tell them about myself. Yes I will definitely tell them about me. One day, someday, maybe next week or maybe even next month. I mean they could go for a month without knowing who I am. Hey, I went for three years and still counting without knowing who I am. I guess it wouldn't be wrong to drag this a little longer. I will definitely tell them. But not now. I don't want them making fun of me or getting hurt. They seem nice and I don't want to hurt them. I know I probably said this about a dozen times already. But it's true. It would feel the same as if I were lying to Jake. Ok, I know I'm doing that too but I don't think Jake and his friends even remember who I was. So there is no harm, right?

Once again, it was Alice that snapped me out of my thoughts. She looked at me angrily before saying,

"Bella, why did you avoid our questions during class?" She said. I guess everyone told them about what happened when I was in class with each of them. I just looked at her and then shrugged. Her expression changed from angry to worry. Shesh! Does she have multiple personality disorder?

"Bella, you know you could tell us anything. I am worried about you. I know we have not known you for long. It was only about at day but we all saw the change in your personality these past two days. First you were vibrant and now you are acting all shy and quiet. I know you are acting Bella. So please tell us what is wrong. We all wanted to help, right guys?" She said as she looked up at all of them. I could hear all of them replying 'of course'. It was really nice that they would want to help me. But I just shook my head and said,

"Thanks, I really appreciate it. But this is something I don't think you can help with." I said while giving them a weak smile before walking around Alice to get to my truck. I immediately turned on the ignition and drove of the school grounds. I can't help but feel touched that they want to help me. But there were a few flaws to it. First of all they don't know what the problem is. Second of all, even if they knew what the problem was they couldn't help. The never knew the real me, how were they suppose to help. And lastly, they would definitely either laugh at me or shun away from me if they ever found out what the problem was. The problem may seem very minor to you but to me it meant a great deal. I had lost myself and I'm not sure if I would ever get it back.

Throughout the whole drive back, I contemplated on whether I should tell them or not. When I reached home, I made up my mind I would not tell them. At least not now. I got out of my truck and headed inside. I quickly had a shower before starting on my homework. I was using this as an excuse to keep me occupied. It seemed to be working for a while. Until I let my mind wonder. What would it be like to have true friends? That would care for you and know who you are. My eyes started to tear up a little knowing that I could never have that until I find out who I am first.

My thoughts and my tears stopped when the phone rang. I really hoped it wasn't the Cullens or the Hales. I wouldn't want to talk to them right now. I know it seemed childish but I couldn't talk to them. Actually I could if they avoided the topic I hated. But then if it was one of them calling me, I would be curious as to where they got my number from.

Anyway the ringing sound was so annoying, I couldn't even think straight. I headed downstairs towards the phone. I waited a few more seconds before picking it up.

"Hello?" I said while hoping it wasn't the Cullens or the Hales.

"Why hello, dear Isabella. It has been a while before I last called." The creepy voice said. I froze at that moment. I completely forgot about the creepy voice. Before I could say something I heard another voice at the other side of the phone. It said,

"It was only yesterday you called her, you idiot." I heard a faint sound say.

"Don't say that too loudly, you fool. She might be able to hear you." The creepy voice. But somehow when the creepy voice said that, there was a slight hint of familiarity in that voice. I would have laughed at their act. It was what you would see on TV. Two bad guys trying to do something bad but failing miserably. But this was real. I couldn't laugh. They would think I was insane. My friends probably think I'm insane, I don't need these guys to think I'm insane too. I was shaking slightly thinking about how weird this situation is. But then a voice interrupted me. It was the creepy guy's voice. He said,

"Well Bella, I did mention before that I know who you are." The voice said. I froze again. This is getting creepier than I thought it would be.

"W-what do you w-want from me?" I stammered a bit. I was sure he could hear the hint of panic leaking from my voice. Surely, these guys would want something, how could they not. They are bad guys. I sound like an idiot right now. My life could be in danger and I'm calling these guys, bad guys in my head.

"What makes you think we want something from you? Ok, you were right. We do want something but before we tell you what it is. We are going to tell a little bit about what we know about you. To warn you not to mess with us because we could use this information against." The creepy guy said. Ok, now I'm officially terrified. Before I could contradict them by saying my dad's a police, they beat me to it.

"We know your dad is Charlie Swan, the police Chief of Forks, we know you live at…" While the creepy guy was saying this, I thought I could hear laughter in the background. I guess I must be freaking out a lot to be hearing voices everywhere. They sound like more than two people from earlier. I feel like I'm a detective. Picking out every small bit information I could get my hands on.

"Quiet!" I could hear the creepy guy say to his…um his…I don't what you call it. His gang? I guess that fits. Then the creepy guy continued,

"I know how you look like; you have brown hair, brown eyes, pale alabaster skin, and a slender body. Well, I know that you are a vibrant person. I could go on and on and on but I would save that for the next call. I hope you didn't think this was the last call. It would be sad if it was. Just to warn you, we know a lot of things about you. Some you yourself might not even know. So do not tell your dad or anyone about this. If you do, we will use this piece of information against and there is plenty more where that came from. Bye Bella, it was nice talking to you again." The creepy voice said then the phone went dead. My legs were frozen to the floor. I couldn't even move an inch. Someone or some gang knew a lot of information about me.

Some I don't even know about. I mean the being vibrant, is that really me. I thought about it then smiled a little. Ok, if you're reading this, you would think 'has she gone crazy?' or 'did same soap from the washing machine finally entered my brain and brainwashed me.' Who would in their right mind, smile when there was someone threatening you? Well I guess you know that answer. It's me! Wow, I'm must have officially lost it. But I couldn't help that smile creep onto my face. The piece of information that the creepy guy gave sounds like it would fit my personality, if I ever knew what it was. Being vibrant? Isn't that what Alice said I was? Wow, I figured out something about myself. I'm vibrant. Well I was anyway. I can't believe this. One small piece of information helped me remember something about who I was. And it was all thanks to Alice…and the creepy guy. I shuddered at this. I couldn't believe this threat is helping me find you who I am. Could this get even more ironic?

What I didn't know, at that time, was that it could. It was way more ironic than I ever imagined it to be?

**AN: I hope you like this chapter. I know the story is moving very slowly but I hope its okay. Can any of you guess who the creepy guy is? This is my first fanfiction…so please don't be disappointed if I don't meet with your expectations. If you have any suggestions or questions, don't be afraid to say it. I would really appreciate it. Once again, you don't have to review if you don't want to…Thanks for reading… **

**~*~ asn ~*~**


	11. Chapter 10: A Change Within

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own twilight...this disclaimer is for the whole story.**

**Chapter 10: A Change Within**

Throughout the whole week, my day was exactly the same. Ok, maybe not exactly, but you get the idea. First, I wake up early in the morning which I rarely do. But with the nightmares I have been having, it is not impossibility. After a few minutes, the previous day comes back into my mind and I realize it wasn't a dream. After that you know what happened, right? I have my shower, get dressed, and have my breakfast. It's the same routine actually. I don't really have to tell you all the details. You know save you time...and mine. Kidding! Ok anyway, I then drive to school. The first few days as you know I have been driving past the school grounds. But now I no longer drive pass it. What an improvement, don't you think? Ok, actually it wasn't really an improvement. I no longer drive pass the school grounds because recently they added a sign saying 'Forks High School' which prevented me from driving pass it again. Cool, right?

Ok, as I was saying, I reached school. And there was hardly anyone considering I woke up early every day. I usually sit waiting in the car listening to some music, while the other students arrive. When it was crowded enough, I get out of my truck and head inside. I would usually meet Emmett and the rest inside the hallway. Then we would say the normal 'hellos' before heading off to class. Alice would usually walk with me considering we have the same class. She would hardly talk during our walk to class. Then when we would arrive in class, she would go on with her full blown chatter. During class, she tried asking me questions that I avoided last time during our conversations but I just changed the subject on her. I got the feeling she knew what I was doing but went along with it. Eventually she stopped asking these questions in one shot but she would try to shoot one in during one of our conversations. As you know I had at least one of the Cullens or the Hales in all my classes. So all my classes were exactly like my class with Alice.

Lunch was pretty much the same. At first, one of them would ask me to join them, since I usually try to find a way out of the cafeteria. Now they no longer called me to come over, I would automatically do that. What? You can't blame. I know I'm supposed to avoid them. I did try but it became too hard for me to resist since I practically do the same things these past few days. The Cullens and the Hales invited me over to their house everyday after school. I politely declined their invitation. I would really love to have gone but the risk of my secret being revealed was too high.

So I went back home, had my shower and did my homework. The day went by exactly the same as the previous days. And amazingly enough, that creepy caller called my house every single day at the exact time. So usually when I had very little homework to complete, I would finish and wait until the creeper caller would call. I know it sounds crazy wanting the creeper caller to call you but without knowing it, this guy is actually helping me find out who I am. As I mentioned before, I couldn't tell anybody because I of a feeling I had inside. But now I think about it, even if I had the guts to tell someone about the phone call, I wouldn't. This guy is saving me from having to lie to my 'friends' in school. I know my next statement is off the topic but just bare with me. I bet you are wondering why I put the word friends like this, 'friends'. Well the answer is actually simple, they may consider me their friend but friends are supposed to know things about you. These people hardly know anything about me. I hardly know anything about me. I would not like to keep it as it is. These people are nice and it would be a great honor if I could call them my friends.

Ok back to the topic at hand, the mysterious creeper caller would call at the exact same time everyday. Wait a minute, I already said this. Never mind, scratch that. Where was I? Oh yes, he would tell me a little bit about myself. He already mentioned my appearance. Recently he told me about the schools I went to, which kind of scared me a little. And finally the best part of the conversation, he would tell me one piece of information about my personality. Even though it was only, I found those pieces of information to be treasures that I would treasure forever. So far this creeper guy told me that I hate money being spent on me, which would explain the argument I had with a girl that was my 'friend' back when I was acting like a cheerleader. He also told me that I'm content with what I have, which explains why I don't ever complain about others being rich and me, well not so. Anyway, he also said that I love classical music and love reading. He also said that my favorite classical music was Claire de Lune and I love reading Wuthering Heights. I can't believe all the information this person has told me.

Well, that was practically how all my days went this past week. Not very interesting some might say. But I on the other hand loved it. Ok not all of it but the call was my favorite time of the day. The weekend was a little better; I didn't have to pretend around the Cullens and the Hales because I didn't see them. But now that I have this new found information, I could slowly change and become my real self again. I could also answer some of the questions they throw my way. If they still are curious enough to ask these questions.

At last it was the day that I was impatiently waiting for and also dreading for. I was impatiently waiting for this day to come because I finally didn't have to keep an act up around them. But I was also dreading this day because I was not sure if I could play my part right and have them like me. They seem to like my pretense, I wonder if they would like the real me. Maybe I should show Jake and his gang first before the Cullens and the Hales. But I would have to wait until I could see them again. Maybe I should call Jake and see whether we could meet up at La Push before I ask him about me. _So, I guess I would have to pretend today_. I sighed as I thought this. But maybe just maybe I could show them a little bit about myself without them seeing such a huge change in me.

I had my shower, got dressed and headed downstairs for some breakfast. I decided to have some cereal. I ate it in a rush not because I was late to school but because I was in a rush to get to school early. Ok, that sounded weird. Who would want to get to school early? Oh wait, it's me. I finished eating then I grabbed my school bag and headed to my beloved baby. Which I wasn't able to drive during the weekend because well mainly because I had no where to go. Charlie had gone fishing with Billy, Jacob's dad. Jake said he and his friends were busy with some things, so that left me alone for the weekend. Not such a bad thing, if you think about it. I tried practicing being my real self but half the time it ended in failure. In the end, I managed to get the vibrant part of myself to become alive.

Anyway, I drove to school and when I reached there, there was hardly anyone except for a few cars here and there. That was where I saw it. A silver Volvo and a red convertible BMW M3. I recognized both cars as Edward's and Rosalie's. I knew this because Alice told asked Emmett to put me into Edward's car that day when they tried to kidnap me and I recognized Rosalie's car because she drove it here to first day of school when Emmett and I went to meet them. Then suddenly a thought pop into my head, what would they be doing in school this early? Maybe that was how early they came because I always arrived after them except for the first day in school. I got out of truck and entered the school building. Since they were here, I decided to go looking for them and maybe show them the real me. Ok not the whole thing but maybe the vibrant thing. I still wasn't sure whether I should show them or wait for Jake's answer first.

I was a little lost in my thoughts and when I turned towards the other direction, I bumped into someone. I looked up and saw a girl with brown eyes staring at me. I recognized her.

"Hey Angela, have you seen the Cullens or the Hales anywhere?" I asked her, praying that I didn't have to search the school just looking for them.

"Hey, well actually I just saw them a few minutes ago. They looked like they were discussing something really private." She replied.

"Oh, where did you see them exactly?" I asked.

"I saw them at the cafeteria." She said.

"Thanks Angela. I'll see you in class later. Bye." I said before walking away.

"Bye Bella, I'll see you later as well." She replied before heading off somewhere. I guess she didn't notice that I was more vibrant than before. Ok, truth be told I was never vibrant before when I came here. Well maybe that time at the hospital with Edward and in the parking lot with the rest of them. But that was a long time ago. Ok, that was only a week ago but who's counting? Now can we please continue? Thank you. I guess maybe she noticed the difference but decided not to say anything. Yeah, that was like her. She wasn't one for gossip or news or anything. She was the type of person who actually waited for the person itself to say it. I might as well tell her when I get to class.

I headed off to the cafeteria to find them. When I reached the cafeteria, I saw them sitting at a table, whispering to each other. Wow! When Angela said they were discussing something private, she wasn't kidding. But then again, she wasn't the type of person to kid around. I decided to say hi while I was there. As I headed over to their table, Alice spotted me. When she did, she smiled to me then whispered something everyone else to make them look at me. They all stared at me with different expressions. They were mostly expression with curiosity hidden in them. I continued walking towards them. I finally reached their table and smiled at them. They were a little surprised which surprised me. I thought I would have shocked them with the sudden change in my personality. But then again, I wanted to make my change without making it too noticeable. We managed to say our hellos before the bell rang, indicating that school had started. Everyone was unusually quiet and to make matters worse for me, they were all staring at me. I stared back for a while but then ignored them and headed back to class. Just as I was leaving the cafeteria, I heard someone say something. I couldn't quite hear what they said but I caught some words. And when I added them together, I got. _"Try not to make too obvious."_

I decided to ignored that as well and head straight to class. But those words keep floating in my mind. Try not to make it obvious. What were they talking about and why did they stop and stare at me when I arrived? I knew it was something private because Angela said so. But I couldn't help wondering what it was. What can I say, I'm a curious person. I guess this was from one of my previous acts because I couldn't be curious with the kind of personality the creepy guy mentioned. I guess I'll just have to pretend I never heard that. Last thing I want is for them to think that I was curious in whatever they were doing. But deep down, I had this strange feeling that whatever they were doing had something to do with me.

When I reached class, everyone was already there including Angela. I waved at her before heading to my desk. She just smiled and waved back at me. I was sitting at my desk staring at the whiteboard when Alice appeared out of nowhere. She was sitting at her desk which was next to mine, looking at me with curiosity. She was staring at me and was about to say something but then the teacher entered class and interrupted us. Throughout the whole lesson, I paid attention to what the teacher was saying but once in a while I noticed that her eyes keep glancing in my direction before heading back to the teacher. I was wondering what she was staring at. Suddenly their conversation from the cafeteria and all the staring came flooding through my mind.

And that was when I realized that whatever she and the rest of them were talking about was about me. Why were they discussing about me? Were they watching me? Why should they? They see me everyday at school. Some many questions were bouncing in my head. And I was only sure of one thing. That I was going to find out whatever they were discussing about me, if it is the last thing I do. Ok, that sounded so lame. I would just stick with the normal 'I will find out what they were doing before it was too late.' Ok! I have got to stop stealing these lines from TV.

As I was saying, I am going to find out why they were discussing about me. See that wasn't so hard, was it? Just a simple line. Don't need to go all copying the TV lines. Ok, ignore that comment, I was a little high. I had coffee for breakfast. I know I didn't mention it early because I didn't wanted to go into all the details. I would just be a waste of time. But as I was saying, before that comment interrupted me, what I didn't know was that finding out something from them was a whole lot harder.

**AN: I hope you like this chapter. I know the story is moving very slowly but I hope its okay. Why do you think they were discussing about her? Are you sure they were discussing about her in the first place? This is my first fanfiction…so please don't be disappointed if I don't meet with your expectations. If you have any suggestions or questions, don't be afraid to say it. I would really appreciate it. Once again, you don't have to review if you don't want to…Thanks for reading… **

**~*~ asn ~*~**


	12. Chapter 11: Surprised?

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own twilight...this disclaimer is for the whole story.**

**Chapter 11: Surprised?**

All my classes pretty much went by exactly the same as the class I had with Alice. They all kept stealing glances at me when they thought I wasn't looking. Too bad I was! I was starting to freak out a little. First I have a creepy guy calling me telling me vital pieces of information that he knows about me and now my so called 'friends' are watching me like a hawk. Can't a girl get some privacy here! I knew they were up to something with that whole meeting thing in the cafeteria they had earlier this morning. And I was sure it was about me. _Don't flatter yourself? Why would they be talking about you?_ A voice inside my head said. Maybe they figured something was up about the way I act around them or anyone for that matter. No it couldn't be. Something else is up and I am going to find out.

When I got home from school, I was exhausted. I mean people watching you really drains out the energy from you. You have to be on your guard at all times and not make any slip ups. It was really hard doing that considering that I made up my mind about showing them half of the real me and telling about the situation that has been going on in my life for the past three years. I wanted them to know that I wasn't going to lie to them anymore. But with them watching, it was like they suspected something and I didn't want to tell them because then it might just confirm they suspicion. So I entered the house and headed straight to my room to rest my head that has been pounding with all the pressure that they put on. I know they didn't mean to but watching me really added the pressure into keeping my act up.

_Oh yes! Oh yes! Wow! I finally had what I always wanted. And it was so satisfying. He did really really good at pleasing me. I honestly hoped that he would provide this pleasure for me often. I would never get enough of this. I said to him while staring at his eyes, "Thank you so much." He was looking at me with a smile on his face. He opened his mouth to say something but then he blurred right out of my vision. He was slowly disappearing out of my sight, until he finally vanished. I couldn't see him anymore. Everything around me turned black. I was scared for a while. I searched around me for him but he was gone just like everything else. It was like I was in the valley of darkness. But then I heard a faint sound. It was calling my name. "Bella? Bella?" The voice said. The voice was getting louder as it called my name. Suddenly, everything around me started shaking. Oh no! There's an earthquake and there's no where to hide. The earthquake increased tremendously. I didn't know what to do so I did what people normally do when they are in trouble or need help. I screamed out loud. My vision started to come back to me. I could see someone standing in front of me. I looked clearly and made out a figure of a man. She was so happy that he came back to save her from the earthquake. She quickly threw her arms around him and hugged. When the man in front of her called her name, it wasn't his voice. _

I blinked a couple of times. While I finally managed to get my eyes open I found them staring at Charlie, who was looking at me with a worried expression on his face.

"Bella, are you ok?" He asked worriedly. Then it came back to me. It was all just dream, everything. Him fulfilling my wildest dream, him disappearing, and the earthquake. It was all a dream. Now I would never get that ice-cream store that I always wanted. Santa promised he would give it to me. He was right in front of me.

"Ugh!" I groaned out loudly, disappointed that it was all a dream.

"What's wrong, honey?" My dad asked. I could see that I must have scared him a little with my little dream escapade. But I could also see a hint of amusement in his eyes. I wonder what was up with that.

"Nothing, dad. It was all just a dream." I said embarrassed. My dad laughed at me for a bit.

"I'm so sorry, honey. T-that…Santa didn't g-get you t-that…ice-cream s-store you wanted." He managed to say that while laughing at me. He was on a full blown laughter that he was holding his sides because it hurt.

"What? How did you…" I was shocked for a while. How did he know about the dream I had? Unless…

"You talked in your sleep. I heard almost every single that you said." He said while still laughing at me. I knew I talked in my sleep because mom would always make fun of my little dreams when I was younger. Those dreams weren't funny, were they? I mean what was so funny about being supergirl that rescued the entire chicken clan from being barbequed by the Hotsoup man. And what about the time when I dreamt about tarzan's girl so that I could hang out with talking apes. Hey, you couldn't blame me for that. I had a thing for apes. I mean they are so cool. They are big and furry and so cute. Well, I found them quite cute; others however didn't share the same opinion as me. But I didn't see anything wrong with that at that time. But thinking about it now, I couldn't believe I actually dreamt about that when I was younger. I laughed a bit thinking of all the dreams that my mom would tease me about. She did tell me I had a vivid imagination. Maybe that was how I could act out all those roles flawlessly. But what was so different this time?

I pushed that thought out of my head when I remembered that Charlie was still here. I looked up at him and noticed that he had finally stopped laughing at me. I really hoped that he didn't tell Jake about this. He would never let this down. I would be teased till the end of time. Something then occurred in my mind. _What was Charlie doing here?_ I decided to ask him.

"Dad, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, well when I came back home, and found dinner not ready yet, so I…" Charlie said.

"Oh my gosh! Dad, I completely forgot about it. I didn't know I fell asleep that long. I'm sorry, dad. I'll get started on it right now." I said. I was about to get out of bed when my dad stopped me.

"Bells, it's ok. I was going to say that I already had dinner." He said.

"Dad! Please don't tell me you went to the diner. I thought you said you were going to eat there once in a while now. Dad, you have to watch out for your health." I told him. I still hadn't gotten over the so called prank he pulled over me the first day I arrived.

"Calm down, Bells. I didn't eat at the diner. Billy came over and invited me to dinner at their place. He said he wanted to watch a game and needed company."

"What about Jacob?" I asked curious as to why Billy wanted my dad around when Jacob was there. But then again, Charlie is Billy's best friend, so I guess that wanting your friend around as company isn't a crime. I silently laughed at that. It is sort of funny when you think about. 'It isn't a crime' and my dad's a cop. Get it? No? Never mind.

"Oh well, Jacob was around for a while but then he told his dad that he had some things to do with his friends so he wouldn't be around for dinner." He replied.

"Oh ok, that makes sense, I guess. But I still don't understand what that has got to do with you being in my room." I asked still having that curiosity in my head.

"Well, after dinner and the game at Billy's house, I came back home. You were no where to be seen downstairs, so I thought you went to bed early. I was watching another game downstairs when the phone. So mainly what I was trying to say, is that you have a call for you." My dad said. I have a call waiting for me. Realization came across my face. I quickly turned my head towards the alarm clock on my right. And it read 9.30pm. I can't believe I slept the whole day, well almost the whole day but you get it. And most importantly, I can't believe I missed the creepy guy's call. Oh, I hope he is not angry and does something bad because I forgot about the call that he makes everyday at the same time.

I quickly stepped out of my bed and rushed downstairs towards the phone. Surprisingly, I didn't trip and fall flat to the ground. That would have hurt a lot. But then again, I hadn't met my friend, the ground in a while. Just as I wished that, I fell. It wasn't a bad fall. It was just a minor trip over my clumsy feet. I would have taken the time to 'chat' with my friend, but I remembered that I have a call waiting. I hope Charlie would not get suspicious over the call. I'm sure he didn't recognize that voice. That alone might have sent him over the edge. I grabbed the phone that was sitting on the counter of the kitchen.

"Hello?" I said while breathing heavily after my rush to get over to the phone and my minor fall.

"Why hello, Isabella. I thought you were up to something when you didn't answer my call." The creepy guy said.

"No, I didn't do anything I wasn't supposed to do. I fell asleep because I was exhausted." I replied with a whisper, afraid that my dad might over hear it.

"It's ok, Isabella. As long as it wasn't on purpose. I don't like to be kept waiting but if it does happen again then serious measures would be taken. And I am sure you wouldn't want that to happen now would you?" He asked in that creepy tone of his.

"No, sir." I said. After I said that, I heard some snickers coming from the background. I also heard the creepy guy tell them to be quiet. I had already figured out that there were more than 3 of them. All of them males.

"Well, Isabella lets continue where we left of, shall we?" He asked me. He really didn't have to ask me this every time he called. But for some reason he did. It was like he wasn't sure if I would agree to hear all those information about me. Boy was he so wrong.

"Yes." I replied. This time instead of talking about my life, he started talking about what I used to do when I lived in Forks, three years before I moved to Phoenix with my mom. I still couldn't grasp the fact that he knew so much about me. I thought he would have run out of information and get straight to the point of why he had all those information. He mainly talked about my friends last time. He talked about Jake and his friends, Embry, Quil, Sam, Emily, Leah, Seth and some other guys whose name slipped my mind at the moment.

It was about 10.05pm when he was done. I know what you are thinking. How could someone talk for that long? Well, just to let you know, I had some 'friends' back in Phoenix who would talk their friends for 2 hours straight about what color nail polish would be perfect for school tomorrow. I mean, come on. Who cares what nail polish you wear? And who even pays attention to what color nail polish you wear anyway? Sometimes I don't even know why I joined that group in the first place.

I was a little sad that he didn't tell me anything new about myself that I could work on. But he told me things about all my true friends that I had forgotten. While he was telling me all about their personal information, like where did they go to school, their physical description and some other stuff, I actually tuned him out of my head. I know I should be listening because he could strike at anytime but he was supposed to talk about me not my friends. I started to pay attention when he was talking about all the things that we used to do, like playing pranks on each other, swimming at La Push, watching some of the older boys go cliff diving. You know we all promised that we would go on day. I wonder if they would remember that. No, that is highly unlikely. They all probably already had that experience.

I still hadn't realized that the phone on the other side was dead. I was too caught up in the moment of recapturing my childhood memories. The annoying beeping sound that you hear after the other person hangs up on you snapped me out of it. I slowly put down the phone that was in my hands. My ears were a little uncomfortable after his long talk but it was worth it, well most of it was. I began to regain attention when my dad started calling me.

"Bella? Bella?" He called from the living room where he was watching another baseball game. How many games can you watch it one day? What's wrong with them? Don't they have anything better to do then watch sports on the TV? Don't get me wrong, sports are ok, I guess but I can't stand watching for so long. I would get bored eventually. I would never understand men.

"Yeah dad? I replied.

"So what was it?" My dad asked. I could hear a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"What was what?" I asked confused.

"The surprise." He said as though it was obvious.

"The surprise?" I asked even more confused. What was my dad talking about?

"You know the surprise. Jake called and said he had a surprise for you. That was why I went upstairs to call you and he told me not to tell you it was him. That way he could surprise you even more." He answered a little confused by the expression on my face.

"Jake?"

**AN: Surprised? Is Jake really the creepy guy or was the dad just confused? Who do you think the creepy guy is? If it is Jake, why would he do that to Bella? I hope you like this chapter. This is my first fanfiction…so please don't be disappointed if I don't meet with your expectations. If you have any suggestions or questions, don't be afraid to say it. I would really appreciate it. Once again, you don't have to review if you don't want to…Thanks for reading… **

**~*~ asn ~*~**


	13. Chapter 12: More Weird Thoughts

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own twilight...this disclaimer is for the whole story.**

**Chapter 12: More Weird Thoughts**

Shocked would be an understatement. I was utterly mortified. The guy that had me scared me and made me worried at the beginning and the guy that made me exited and impatient for the information that was going to be given to me was none other than Jacob Black, my very best friend. Well, I thought he was my best friend. Now, I'm not so sure. I was shocked and surprised when I found out that Jake did this to me. Then anger started boiling inside of me. It all must have been some kind of prank that they were planning. I knew he couldn't have done this all by himself. He must have done this with his gang. That would explain the noises I heard during the conversations we had. He must have been discussing a way with his friends on how to prank me. But why? I thought they were all supposed to me my friends. My only true friends. I guess that lady on TV wasn't kidding when she said that. I should watch that show more often. What's it called? Dead? No, that's not it. I know it starts with a 'D'. What could it be? I only watched it a few times when I was with my mom. Maybe if I remember the person saying it then it would be easier for me to remember the show. Ok, her name is… Patty something. Patty…I know Patty Hewes. Yes, that's her name. Patty Hewes. Now what show was she on? Oh, I remember now. Damages! That's the shows name. Patty Hewes from Damages said "trust no one." I should actually listen to her next time. Even though she is evil but she has a point. I shouldn't have believed that Jake and his gang were my friends. I never had friends and I never will.

I didn't know how long I had been standing there. I couldn't hear anything except for the ticking of the clock on the wall towards the right of our kitchen. That's it. Tick! Tick! Tick! That sound would probably annoy most people but I could endure. My mind was filled with a lot of things that have happened when I came to live in Forks with Charlie. My heart was feeling thousands of emotions at once. Surprised, hurt, regret, anger, disappointment and some I couldn't quite place. I couldn't take this anymore. It was like I was never meant to find out who I am. I'm sure most of the things he said during the phone call were a lie. Everything was probably a lie. Except for the basic details. All that time I was practicing the personalities that he said I was, was just wasted. I knew it was too good to be true. I guess my life would remain I lie till the end of time.

When I finally snapped out of my thoughts that blocked out all of my senses, I noticed my surroundings. It was extremely quiet. I noticed that the TV was off and Charlie was no where to be seen. I guess that after he asked about the 'surprise from Jake' and got no response from me, he must have thought that he was being a little to busy body and left to go to bed. I wonder how long have I been standing here. I took a glanced at the clock in the kitchen and it read 11.00pm. I can't believe that I have been standing there for almost an hour. I was about to call Jake and give him a piece of my mind for doing that to me. I'm usually not someone to hold grudges against other people, I think. I can't be sure since whatever Jake told me was probably a lie. I wonder why he did that? To make fun of me. Maybe he found out that I didn't know who I was. But how could he? I didn't tell him. Then a thought came to me. What if he bumped into the Cullens and they started to talk about me. I know he couldn't have known them because he would rarely leave reservation to come to Forks. But then again, I hadn't seen him for 3 years. Maybe he changed. Maybe everyone changed, that would explain why they played that prank on me. I guess Jake found out about the prank that me and the rest of them played on Jake and he wanted revenge. It makes perfect sense. But how could stooped that low to play a prank on me when I had that problem. I still couldn't grasp the fact that he did something like that.

I was about to dial his number on the phone that lay on the kitchen counter but then I let out a big yawn. I guess I was still tired even though I had lost of sleep during the day. I made up my mind to make a surprise to Jake tomorrow after school. But that means during school I would have to see the Cullens. You know, come to think of it, maybe the reason they were acting all strange towards me with the non-stop staring at me was because they were probably in on Jake's plan to get even with me. I can't believe this. They were all pretending to like me just to see if the plan was working. I wonder how long they have been doing this. I couldn't be long because they started acting strange during this week only. Last week they were just treating me like a normal person. I just knew deep down that they were in on it too. I realized that I should have just ignored them just like what I said about a week ago. I didn't listen to myself and this is punishment for doing so. Was there anyone that was actually my friend? I guess not. The only friends that I had no longer were my friends. Friends would never stoop that low just to get even. I couldn't take this anymore. I tossed everything that was on my mind out of it. I just needed a break.

I headed upstairs towards my room. Once my head hit the pillow, I was completely asleep.

It was the Friday sun that woke me up. I know you are probably wondering what that is. Well, just to answer that curious question of yours, well it's Friday and the sun is up. So I called it the Friday sun. Get it? I know, I know! It's probably the lamest thing you have ever heard of. Too bad! I like it.

As I got out of bed, I had a head rush. What did I have a horrible day yesterday? Then I remember what happened yesterday. Oh yeah, I did! Today was the day that I was going to give the Cullens, the Hales and Jake and his friends a piece of my mind. Well not really. I haven't exactly come up with a plan for revenge but I was half way there. I would give the Cullens and the Hales some slack. I was not as if we were friends anyway. But Jake and his friends were going to get a little something from me after school. Ok, to be honest with you. I'm not very good with the whole revenge thing. The incident at the Thriftway with Jake and Leah was more a spur of the moment decision. And it was pretty good if I don't say so myself.

I had a longer shower than usual to relieve the tension in my muscle before today's invents. I dressed into something that was comfortable and looked ok. I don't think I need to tell you what I was wearing because that would probably be a waste of precious time which I could be using to think of some evil plan as revenge. I headed downstairs towards the kitchen. Charlie was already gone to work. I realized that I had no idea what time it was. So I took a glanced at the clock in the kitchen. Hey, it feels like déjà vu. This is exactly what happened yesterday. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down because the anger in me was slowly boiling up. It read 7.30am. Wow, I only had half an hour before school started. I guess I could take my time. It would only take 10 minutes at the most to get to my school. Maybe if I head over to school now, I could get there before they do and that would really help if I was planning on ignoring them till well, till I come up with a better plan. I grabbed an apple. I made my way slowly towards my baby. Still beautiful as ever. Since I was super bored, I observed the apple that was in my hands. It was bright red. The kind of apple that was suppose to be fresh. Maybe today would be my day. I mean the sun is out and I have a fresh apple in my hand. But out of no where an image of Snow White holding an apple that looked exactly like the one I have in her hands. I remember I use to hate fairy tales when I was younger. For some odd reason, I could remember most of the things till three years back when I moved to Phoenix, which was very odd if you ask me. Anyway, as I was saying, I was much of a fairy tale and Disney movies lover. But there was one Disney movie that I particularly enjoyed. It was called Mulan. The fact that she pretended to be a boy to show that she can be someone. It kind of resembles me a little. But I liked that movie because it sort of proves that girls can do things that guys can. I'm sorry. I hate the fact that guys sometimes think that they are suppose to be the strong one and the girls are supposed to be the damsel in distress. Most girls think that way to but not me. I for one am not a damsel in distress. I can do thinks to. Like the girl jock. At that school there were only a few who were girl jocks but that didn't stop me. I just wanted to prove that we girls could do things that guys could. Ugh! I hate it when this happens. Just asking did any of you notice that we drifted of the subject. We were talking about Snow White and someone my thoughts ended up at a girl jock. Well, back to the subject. I was just going to say that the apple in my hands resembled the apple that Snow White was holding. Wait! Does that mean that the apple that I have is poisonous. I stared at it for a while, and then decided to run into the house to get a green apple. I know that was a little weird but someone that apple was just too bright red.

Ok, this is probably another random thing but did you notice that this thoughts in my head happened while I was walking to the truck. Don't you think that was just a little weird that I had a lot of time to think while the walk towards my truck was just a short distance? But just ignore that fact ok. This is my story to tell and if you don't like it, don't listen. Where was I. Oh yes, I finally made it to my baby with a green apple in my hand. I turned on the ignition and drove towards the school.

**AN: Sorry this chapter is short but I had to split it in half because the original chapter was way to long. I hope you like this chapter. This is my first fanfiction…so please don't be disappointed if I don't meet with your expectations. If you have any suggestions or questions, don't be afraid to say it. I would really appreciate it. Once again, you don't have to review if you don't want to…Thanks for reading… **

**~*~ asn ~*~**


	14. Chapter 13: A New Beginning

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own twilight...this disclaimer is for the whole story.**

**Chapter 13: A New Beginning**

When I arrived there, there were many cars parked there. I guess I spent a lot of times in my thoughts. I was actually in a happy mood right now. Well, if you were just thinking about your favorite movie and about the Snow White and the apple thing, you would be. I then remembered that I was supposed to be angry at the Cullens and the Hales for getting involved in Jake's plan. Well, I wasn't sure about that but I just knew that they were connected somehow. I put on an 'I couldn't care what's going on right now' look on my face. I walked through the hallways of the school towards my first class. There were many people so it was hard for me to walk towards my class considering that most of them didn't know I was there.

I finally made it to my class without being squished by the other students and without bumping into certain people that I would prefer not mentioning their names. The class was not empty. There were a few kids here. Angela was there sitting at her place reading a book. I thought about it. I realized that Angela and Ben hadn't been acting strange at all. They were really nice towards me. I'm sure they had nothing to do with the 'CHJ' plan. I'm sure you're probably wondering what that is. Well, that is for me to know and for you to find out. See if you can? I took a glance at my place and found Alice sitting there while staring and smiling at me. I turned towards Angela. I never noticed before that Angela had no one sitting next to her. Maybe I should sit next to her and keep her company. It would benefit us both. I get to avoid Alice's watching gaze and be great company towards Angela. I just hope she doesn't mind. I headed over towards her desk.

"Hey, Angela."

"Hey Bella. How are you?" She asked. She is such a sweet person.

"I'm…fine actually." I replied while giving her a smile. I hope she didn't notice my hesitation. I guess maybe I don't have to act like a different person around Angela and Ben. They seem like they could be true friends to me, if I didn't have this problem. Maybe I could tell them about it. They seem like people I could trust and they wouldn't shunned me for not knowing who I was. I made up my mind to tell Angela and Ben about my problem. Even though no one wants to admit it, everyone needs someone to vent to when they have problems.

"What about you?" I asked. I would be rude if I didn't ask.

"Well, I'm fine, thanks." She replied.

"So, just asking. I hope you don't mind but do you think that I can sit here with you for the rest of the year?" I asked while hoping that she would say yes.

"Um…sure you can but what about Alice?" She replied. Ugh! I forgot about Alice. Think of an excuse quick. But I don't want to lie to her. I know!

"Well, um…Alice and I aren't…um."

"It's ok if you don't want to tell me." She said. She really is such a nice person. No wonder Ben likes her.

"Well, thanks." I replied while sitting down next to her. I quickly glanced behind to see Alice's reaction towards mine was. Her face slightly fell but then she quickly adjusted her expression. I decided to pop the question.

"So Angela, I was wondering whether you would like to hang out this weekend at my house." I asked.

"Actually, I would love to." She replied.

"Great! You know we could just watch a movie or something and maybe you could sleepover." I asked while biting my lower lip.

"I would just have to ask my parents but other than that I think it would be ok." She said while smiling at me. I smiled back at her.

"You know, you could invite Ben over for the movie as well. I would invite him for the sleepover but you know my dad. He would think that boys' sleeping over is not a good idea." I asked.

"Thanks! I'm sure Ben would love to." She replied. I decided to tell her the reason why I was inviting them.

"Ok, you are probably wondering why I'm doing this but I just feel like I can trust both of you. So while we are at my house, I'm going to be telling you a secret that I have." I said. I hope she doesn't reject the over after hearing that that's the reason why I wanted to invite her over.

"Oh, I you sure you want to tell me this, Bella? If you need someone to be there, then we would definitely be there for you." She said.

"Yeah, I hope you guys don't mind coming. Because I really need to share this with someone." I replied.

"Of course we would come, Bella. We are your friends after all." She said.

I smiled when she said that. I felt a tear drop onto my cheek. I quickly wiped it away before she saw it. The sound of the bell snapped me out of it. I looked around and saw that everyone was seated at their desk. I also saw that Alice was staring at me with confusion on her face. I hope she didn't hear anything I told Angela. The teacher came in a started teaching about; well I wasn't exactly paying attention what with everything on my mind right now. I sighed. Today was going to be a long day. I could tell.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Surprisingly enough, all the classes had either Angela or Ben in it. So you can guess that I sat with them instead of the Cullens and the Hales. During lunch though, there was a little complication. I didn't want to sit with the Cullens and the Hales. I could guess that Angela and Ben already knew something was up with me and the Cullens and the Hales but they didn't bother asking me. They knew I would tell them when I was ready. I sat at my own table at a corner of the cafeteria. To my surprise Angela and Ben followed along.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked them curiously.

"What? We can't sit. You don't like anymore?" Ben asked. I could tell by the tone he used that he was joking.

"No! Of course you can sit here. I was just wondering, wouldn't you prefer sitting with them?" I asked.

"Well, we didn't want to leave you sitting alone at lunch. What kind of friends would we be if we did that?" Angela replied. I really liked them. They can be sweet, kind and funny sometimes.

"Thanks for keeping me company. I really appreciate." I said.

"No problem." Both of them said simultaneously, which was kind of creepy if you ask me. But I'm sure you didn't. But I just wanted to tell for fun.

We ate our lunch at peace. Angela and Ben were talking about one of the projects they had to do for one of their classes. I was just eating apple while staring out the window. The sky was dark indicating that it was going to rain, which wasn't a rare occasion since it was Forks. I could see the trees swaying roughly towards the right. I guess that means a heavy storm would come pouring any second.

My mind that was focusing on the movement of the trees changed focus immediately. Now all my mind could think of was the Cullens and the Hales. I had no idea why. All I know was that they were up to something and it had some kind of connection with what Jake and his gang did. I scolded myself for actually believing that they could actually be true friends to me. I was right to believe that about Angela and Ben. They would be true friends to me. I just know it. But they Cullens and the Hales, I wasn't too sure. I know they were up to something and they had something to do with Jake's plan but somehow my mind couldn't help think that they would be true friends to. Something is wrong with this picture. Either the Cullens and the Hales really could be true friends to me or my mind finally went crazy. I would like to think it was the first one but I wasn't sure. But then again it had to be the first one because if my mind is crazy I wouldn't be thinking this at all. Once again I wasn't so sure. Life is seriously confusing. Scratch that. My life is seriously confusing and complicated.

Out of no where, I could fell someone's gaze on me. I turned towards the direction of that person's gaze and found that not 1 but all the Cullens and the Hales were staring at me. They look like they were trying to figure out something but they just couldn't. I hope it wasn't what I think it was. I know I'm being paranoid but I couldn't let them know my secret. Ok, my secret wasn't really such a big deal but to me it was. OK, so just deal with it. After a while of staring at each other, the connection was interrupted by Angela asking me a question.

"So Bella, what time should we come over to your house tomorrow?" She asked me. I quickly looked away from their gazes and straight towards Angela's.

"Well, what about 4.00 in the evening. That way in the evening maybe we could do our homework together for a while than have dinner before watching our movie. What do you think about that Ben?" I asked.

"Sounds good to me." Ben agreed.

"Yeah me too." Angela said.

"Ok, well then after the movie, I can finally tell you my secret. It's not really gossip material so don't get your hopes up." I said jokingly.

"Bella, we would never gossip about your secrets if that is what you're worried about." Angela said.

"Yeah Bella, we would never do that. We're your friends. You can trust us." Ben said.

"Thanks guys. You really are good friends to me. I'm not really worried that you would gossip about my secret which I know you won't but it's just that maybe once you hear it, you wouldn't think of that as a problem or something because to you it maybe insignificant but to me it's really a huge deal." I said shyly. I wonder what they would think of me once they found out. Would they be repulsed by me? Would they not want to be my friends anymore? They were the only friends I had, I can't lose them.

"Bella, we would listen and help you out if you need it. We are always here with you. That's what friends do right? Help each other when they need it." Angela said.

The atmosphere was getting a little too personal for my taste. I didn't feel comfortable talking about this in public. So I decided to change the subject.

"Well, now I know why Ben fell for you, Angela. I mean look at you. You are beautiful, smart, kind, funny and caring." I told her. She blushed lightly at my comment.

"What Bella said was true, but you are much more than that." Ben said. She blushed even more at that compliment.

I didn't want to interrupt the moment so I looked away. But when I took notice of the surroundings, I saw that the cafeteria was practically empty except for us and surprisingly, the Cullens and the Hales as well.

"Guys, I think we should head to class. The cafeteria is practically a grave yard." I said to them. We all got up from our table, dumped our tray and headed towards the door.

"Yeah next thing you know, vampires would start showing up and killing us making it more look like a grave yard than before." Ben said. We laughed at his remark. Vampires coming after us! How hilarious was that. Everyone knows that they are just myths.

"After that, werewolves would come to get revenge for us 'mortals' by attacking the vampires. I read somewhere that they were supposedly sworn enemies or something." Angela said. We laughed even more.

I was so nice hanging out with them. I felt so free, so…vibrant. My mood dampened when I thought of the word vibrant. It still rang in my head, all the things he said I was. I tossed that thought aside. I wouldn't let Jake and his friends ruin my fun time with Angela and Ben. They were my true friends and nothing was going to spoil that.

**AN: Who can guess what CHJ stands for. It's actually very simple. I hope you like this chapter. This is my first fanfiction…so please don't be disappointed if I don't meet with your expectations. If you have any suggestions or questions, don't be afraid to say it. I would really appreciate it. Once again, you don't have to review if you don't want to…Thanks for reading… **

**~*~ asn ~*~**


	15. Chapter 14:Important Business

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own twilight...this disclaimer is for the whole story. (Important AN at the bottom)**

**Chapter 14: Important Business**

When school ended, I was pretty much exhausted. Not as exhausted as I was yesterday but still exhausted. I had to ignore all the staring glances the Cullens and the Hales kept throwing at me. I really wonder what their problem is. Don't they have anything better to do than to watch me like a hawk every second? It was like I was being stalked only I knew about it. How ironic was that?!

I said my goodbyes to Angela and Ben and made my way towards my precious baby. Ah, that beauty. Who could ever forget that darling truck? It was the most precious thing to me. I would never get rid of it. Well, maybe unless something happened to which I pray would not. Other than that, this baby is not going anyone.

Once I got in the car, I remembered something very important that I was supposed to be doing today. And no, it's not doing my homework. Homework can wait. This has to be done now. Ok, not exactly now but you get the idea. I decided to go home and rest awhile before getting that job done. I started the engine and drove straight home. I needed some rest before I got the job done. You don't want me falling asleep when I do it, now do you?

Once I reached home, I turned off the engine and got out of the car. You know, I don't think I have to tell you every detail of what is going on. I might just give you a summary of what I did before getting the important job done. I'm sure you are wondering what the heck that job is. But then again, I'm sure some of you already know what the job is. Those are the people who have been paying attention. Sorry, I didn't mean to insult you by saying that but if you have been paying attention then you would know what job I was talking about. Well, I would give you a hint since I don't want to ruin the surprise for those who don't what it is. It's not really a major surprise but it's a surprise to me, so deal with it. Ok the hint is that I mentioned it in my thought this morning when I woke up. See if that helps.

Anyway back to the story. I had a quick shower and watched some TV for a while. I didn't what time he would be back so I had to wait for awhile. It was pure torture, waiting for the time to pass. The safest time was 4.30pm. I didn't want to go and find him not there. And do you know what made it worse? There was nothing to watch on TV. Everything was practically boring. The best show that was on was Hannah Montana. Sorry to those who love her, I'm not exactly a huge fan of her. And that is putting it mildly.

After what felt like hours of torture watching her prance around like she is the queen of the world, the clock finally struck 4.30pm. You know this reminds me of the fairytale Cinderella, where they say that the clock struck midnight and it was time for her to go. Hilarious if you connect these two situations together. I quickly grabbed my phone just incase, locked the door and headed towards my truck. I drove there with my emotions boiling like a raging fire. Ok, that was exaggerating it a little. Maybe not a little but you understand.

When I parked my truck right in front of the house, I saw the curtain twitch a little. That definitely wasn't caused by the wind. Someone saw that I was here. I hope it was Jake but then again if it was him, he might try to run away. I would not let him escape though. He probably doesn't know that I found out it was him. Let's see how he acts around me. I got out of my truck and headed to their front door.

**KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!**

I knocked on the door with a little too much force. Well, I couldn't help it. You would do too if you were in this situation. At least I'm not like some people who would get into a massive physical fight. I however think this is better resolved calmly and peacefully.

"Hey Bells, how are doing? What brings you here?" Jake said after he opened the door for me to enter.

"Hey Jake, is your dad here?" I asked just incase because I didn't want to be seen arguing with Jake when his dad was around.

"No, he went over to Harry's house. They have a game going on and they…" Jake answer was cut of by my screaming.

"HOW THE HELL COULD YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?" I screamed at him with a full blown force. His eyes got wide with fright, which is good that means I'm terrifying him. Wait! I should not get my hopes up. The last time I tried to terrify him; it didn't exactly go as I planned. You guys remember the kitchen incident with the utensils flying everyway when he came in and scarred me. Anyway back to business.

"W-what are you talking? I-I have no idea what you are saying?" He stammered. Good, he actually is terrified of me. I must have really scarred him. Cool! OK, not the time to be celebrating this. It's time to get back at him.

"You have no idea what I'm talking about?" I said through my clenched teeth. Could he get anymore pathetic? His whole stammering thing just proves that he is lying. He just nodded his head in reply.

"Don't lie to me, Jake. I know you and your friends did this to me. How could you? Is this some sort of prank? I didn't even think you would stooped this low just to have a little fun scaring my off." I said angrily. My fists were clenched together tightly. I was staring him with pure anger.

"What are you talking about Bella? I have no idea. Prank? What prank?" Jake asked. His expression seemed to have relaxed a little bit. But I could see that he was just trying to show that he wasn't scared of me and that he wasn't lying.

"Don't pretend that you don't know anything about it. You are the 'creepy guy' that has been calling me and your friends are also on it, aren't they? And don't lie to me. I know you did it so just admit it." I said fully irritated. To someone on the outside of this conversation, putting it lightly again, they would see that I look like I was about to explode. They would probably be right. If Jake continues to keep pretending, I would definitely explode. I guess you could say that I am not a very patient person but that was odd. I usually am a patient person, I think. I guess Jake is just seriously annoying me with this whole thing.

"Ok! Ok! Bells, I'll tell you." Jake finally admitted. I would definitely laugh at this. You would too. He said that while his arms are in the air like you are about were going to be arrested by a police. It's pretty hilarious actually. I would have laughed but I was pretty angry at the moment. I was waiting impatiently for him to continue.

"Well, go on." I said.

"Ok! I all started that day outside Thriftway. You know when you embarrassed me like that in front of Leah. Ok, so after that I went home and I really wanted to come up with a plan of revenge against you for doing that, so I and the guys came up with the creepy guy thing." Before Jake could finish his story, I started yelling at him again.

"YOU MEAN THIS WAS ALL A PRANK FOR THAT INCIDENT. I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU. WHY WOULD YOU STOOP THAT LOW? I AT LEAST HELPED GET YOU AND LEAH TOGETHER. AND WHAT DID YOU DO? YOU CAUSED ME A LOT OF PAIN. YOU DON'T WHAT I FELT WHEN I FOUND OUT IT WAS !" I said yelling at him. I was definitely mad at him.

"Bells! Let me finish. You got this a…" He got cut of once again. You know if I were Jake, I would be seriously annoyed. But then again, how could he stoop this low just for a prank. Maybe he doesn't know about my little personality problem but he could have done something less horrible. I'm sure he thought that I was terrified to death with the creepy stalker thing but I was happy that the creepy stalker was giving me the information I wanted. But when I found out it was Jake and it was all a prank, I got really sad and angry. Sad because I'm sure whatever he said about me was a huge lie. Angry because he actually tried making a prank out of a creepy stalker guy. He was very lucky I didn't tell Charlie or he would have been dead. Ugh!

"YOU KNOW WHAT FORGET IT! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANYMORE OF THIS. I NEVER EVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN, YOU…YOU." I never got to finish that sentence because I heard people coming over towards Jake and me.

"Hey Jake what's up man."

"Why do you look like you just saw a ghost?"

I heard them ask Jake these questions but then stopped when they saw me. They quickly glanced between me and Jake several times. I'm guessing they wanted to know whether I found out about the whole prank thing.

"Hey Bella, how have you been?" One of them said. I recognize that person as Embry.

"Great! Just great!" I said to him sarcastically. I knew he could the idea because he stepped back a few steps. We stood there for a while just staring at each other. I didn't how long we stood there until someone broke the silence.

"So what have you guys been doing before we came by?" Jared asked. I saw Jake nudge him in the rib to shut him up. Then I remembered what I came here to do. I glared at them before saying

"You guys are lucky I didn't tell Charlie about this. And I never want to see any of you again." I said angrily before storming off towards my truck. I could see from the corner of my eye that the rest of Jake's friends had no idea what I was talking about or maybe they were just pretending. I couldn't care anymore. I would just let Jacob fill them in.

I started the engine and glared at them one more time before driving towards my house. Along the way, I felt tears pooling in my eyes. I knew I couldn't drive like this so I stopped at the side of the road. I let a few tears escape before wiping them away. I took very deep breaths to calm myself down and started the journey back to my house.

Once I reached there, I noticed Charlie's cruiser still wasn't there which was good because then I wouldn't have to explain myself to him if he saw me in this condition. I entered the house and was about to head to my room when I remembered Charlie. I took a glance towards the clock and it said 7.00pm. I knew Charlie would be hungry when he came back from work. So I heated up the leftovers from yesterday and left a note saying that I wasn't hungry, just tired. I didn't want him bothering me.

After heating up his food, I headed upstairs towards my room. I ran to my bed and just cried like I never cried before. I know it sounds silly of me to be crying over this but this meant a lot to me. And finding out this was a joke was like a stab in the heart with a spear. After what felt like hours of crying, I finally let the exhaustion take over me. I fell into a world full of darkness as sleep surrounded me. That was the first night a sleep peacefully without the interference of dreams and nightmares.

**AN: I'm sorry to say that I won't be updating for a while because I have mid terms coming up. I hope you guys understand. I'm sorry if I disappointed you. I hope you will forgive me. Once again, you don't have to review if you don't want to…Thanks for reading… **

**~*~ asn ~*~**


	16. Chapter 15: Permission Granted

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own twilight...this disclaimer is for the whole story. (Important AN at the bottom)**

**Chapter 15: Permission Granted**

I woke up with an excruciating pain on my forehead. I guess yesterdays events really drained out the energy in me. On the plus, I finally gave Jake and his friends a piece of my mind. But why do I feel immensely guilty. As I was driving home yesterday, I felt my heart shatter a bit.

_Maybe it was because you thought that they were your friends and you could trust them. But when they did that stupid prank, you realized that none of that is true. I voice in my head argued._

But if that is true, why do I feel guilt burning inside of me? I gave him what he deserved. After all, that prank he pulled off was just cruel and mean.

_Maybe you feel guilty because he had a hidden reason why he conducted the prank. But when he tried to explain himself, you didn't let yourself hear it. You were consumed by the rage of anger that surrounded you._

I couldn't let this argument go on any longer. The pain I felt earlier became worse as the argument went on. I grudgingly got out of bed and headed towards the bathroom. When I looked at the mirror, I was shocked to see how I looked. I know you don't really look pleasant when you wake up but I didn't expect myself to look like this. My hair looked like a huge pile of haystack, only it was pointed upwards and tangled together to form some sort of bee hive. Oh my gosh! I look like that cartoon character on TV. I only need to dye my hair blue and I would look something like Marge from the Simpsons. After using the bathroom to make myself look a little more presentable, I headed towards my closet to change. I wasn't in the mood to spend my time thinking of what to wear today. I just randomly grabbed some clothing and put them on. What I wore was surprisingly comfortable.

When I glanced at myself in the dressing table mirror, I was shocked at what I saw. I really needed to pay attention more to what I chose to wear. I was wearing a white turtleneck top and my other pajama pants. No wonder it felt a little too comfortable. I quickly changed into something more appropriate. I'm so lucky I checked myself in the mirror before I stepped out into public. What would happen if people saw me like this? I would probably be posted as 'a fashion don't' in a magazine. You know those magazines that have the fashion 'dos and don'ts'. Don't ask how I know that. I just do, okay. Then again, which bone head would be up this early on a Saturday? Today is a Saturday, right? Wait, let me think…_Thursday, Friday_…yeah it is a Saturday, whew!

After that outfit disaster, I headed downstairs for some yummy, scrummy, breakfast. Since it's a Saturday, I might as well cook something that would satisfy my taste buds. I can't make a scrumptious meal on school days. Well, I could but then I would have to wake up pretty earlier. And I'm not exactly a morning person. Let's see, what should I make today? What about pancakes? Hmm. That sounds perfect. I decided to make simple pancakes. I don't want to go overboard; after all, it's just breakfast. Yes, yes, I'm aware that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Blah, blah, blah! You don't have to give me that lecture. After all, I was the one who gave that lecture to Charlie. You should have seen what he was having for breakfast. Absolutely nothing. I had to convince him that breakfast is important but he kept giving me excuses like I'll pick up something before heading to the station or I'll have a heavy lunch or I'm not hungry. It took me a while before he finally gave in and had some breakfast before work. I let out a sigh thinking about those times. _That man, what am I going to do with him?_

While cooking breakfast, I remembered that Angela and Ben were coming over. And I forgot to ask Charlie about it. I really hope he doesn't mind. _Well I guess I just have to find out_. I thought as I heard some movement from upstairs. I guess Charlie must be awake. Just as I finished cooking the pancakes, Charlie came down the stairs. What an odd coincidence, don't you think? _It is just like men to come into the kitchen when the food is all cooked. They hardly ever come while the women are cooking. I guess they are afraid that they would be asked to help. Men!_ I shook my head while those thoughts filled my head.

"Morning Bells. What smells so great?" Charlie asked once he reached the kitchen.

"Morning dad. It's just plain pancakes, dad. But we have maple syrup and some other kinds of toppings if you like." I replied.

"It may be plain pancakes but whatever you cook is always delicious." He said.

"Thanks dad." I said.

We ate our pancakes in silence. I had my pancakes with maple syrup because the sweetening taste just melts your tastes buds, well it melts mine but you get it. And it is also my favorite topping besides chocolate syrup. Since we didn't have any, I went for the next best thing. Charlie on the other hand had his pancakes with a butter and maple syrup combination. It looks a little bit odd but he seems to like so I guess it's good too. I decided to ask him about the sleep over I planned. I finished my breakfast and cleared the table before washing the dishes which also included Charlie's plate. Charlie headed to the living room to watch some baseball game. I just stood there looking at him, while thinking how I was going to ask him. I honestly don't understand why guys keep watching sport games. I mean certain sports are nice to watch like my all time favorite Formula 1. You probably think I'm crazy, right? A person who enjoys watching cars race each other. If you give it a chance, you might like it. It is full of drama and suspense. For example last years Brazilian match. Oh my gosh! Louis Hamilton and Felipe Massa were battling for Championship points. At the end when Massa crossed the line, everyone jumped for joy because if they count the points from what position Hamilton was currently in, they won. But then Timo Glock just had to slow down and allow Hamilton to pass him. And that gave him an extra one point and allowed him to win the Championship. It was really amazing. So sorry about that. I can go on for ages when you get me started on Formula 1. But what I don't get is what other sports have that appeal men to watch it. For example, soccer. Ok you might be shocked but I'm not really a soccer fan. All I know is that Manchester United is winning. I'm not sure if that's true but that's what I heard from someone. Anyway, I guess I sort of understand how people can like watching soccer. If it has the same appeal like Formula 1 does to me than I totally comprehend.

While my mind was thinking this thought, I already planned out how I was going to ask Charlie about the sleep over. But before the words came out of my mouth, the sound of the phone filled the house. I sighed then headed towards the phone.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Hello, Bella. It's Billy here." He said.

"Oh hey Billy. How are you?" I asked.

"I'm fine. Is your dad there?" He asked.

"Yeah he is. Hold on a second." I replied. While holding the phone in my hand, I called my dad.

"Hey dad. It's Billy. He wants to talk to you." I said.

"Coming!" I heard my dad say from the living room.

I handed to phone to him and headed to the living room. I flicked through a few of the channels on TV but there was nothing to watch. I didn't mean to eavesdrop but I could hear a bit of the conversation.

"What's the plan this time?" Charlie said.

"What time do you plan on it?"

"Are we going to have…"

"Oh ok. See you in a few."

I'm sorry that's all I got. Don't blame me. I could only hear Charlie's part of the conversation. Sheesh! What do you think I am? A vampire? If I was, I would have heard Billy's part too. And I hate to burst your bubbles but I'm not. So sorry. Not! Anyway, after my dad finished his conversation with Billy, he headed to the living room where I was.

"Hey Bells, I'm heading over to Billy's house. We are you going fishing. Later that evening we are having a barbeque. You are welcome to come to, you know." He said.

"Oh…um I would love to but I already made plans. I hope you don't mind dad." I asked.

"Oh I'm sure Jake won't be devastated. He has plenty of other friends. What exactly are your plans for today?" He asked.

"Um…I invited Angela and Ben over. Then I was wondering if Angela could sleep over here. Please dad!" I begged him. I even put on my famous pout so he would agree. No one can resist my pout. Well I hope no one could. He looked at me for a while with utter confusion.

"Why are you using your pout on me? It was not as if I was going to say no." He said while raising his eyebrows.

"You won't." I asked.

"No. I didn't want you to be alone in the house anyway, so this plan fits in well. But next time before you plan something make sure you ask me first. And don't use that pout on me." He said.

"Thanks dad. I promise I will ask next time. Why don't you want me to use this pout. Is it because you can't resist it?" I said while showing that pout again.

"No because it is disturbing. Sorry honey. Bye. I'll be back a little late. Don't wait up for me." He said while winking at me. I stared at him with a shock expression on my face. That was beyond weird. I didn't know my pout was disturbing. I always thought it worked. Maybe it does work but in a different sense. It creeps people out causing them to agree to whatever I say. Cool! I gave him a hug before he left the house. I heard the sound of the cruiser slowly fade away before it couldn't be heard completely. I literally jumped for joy when my dad agreed. I jumped once again before running towards the phone. I was so excited to call Angela and Ben to tell them that they could come. Hooray!

After doing my weird happy dance, I took a glance at the clock and it read 12.00pm. I had only 4 hours until Angela and Ben arrived. I had to get some food for dinner and some snacks for the movie and the sleepover. I grabbed my purse and my truck keys and headed outside. Once I locked the door, I looked up at the sky. There were clouds covering every inch of the sky an indication that it was going to rain and very soon in fact. I hoped into my truck and headed to Thriftway. While I was driving, I started to think of how I was going to tell them my secret. I honestly hoped that they would remain my friends and not be disgusted by the fact that I have no clue as to who I am anymore. You know if you look at this in a different way, you would see me as a person who had knocked her head and lost her memory and is trying to get it back with some help from her 'friends'. Odd isn't it? I also wondered what I was going to prepare for them when they came over. I needed to cook something that is light yet delicious. I didn't want to stuff them with dinner when we are going to be eating some more during the movies.

Once I reached Thriftway, I made up my mind of what to cook for them. Out of no where, I had a craving for Mexican food, so I decided to make burritos. It is light and delicious. I hope they don't have dislike towards Mexican food. Their foods are amazing. Nachos, burritos, tacos, and many more. Yummy! I parked my truck at an empty stop in between a blue van and a big, sleek, silver motorcycle. When I got out of the truck and took a look around, I had a sudden sense of déjà vu. Events of when I was here last came flooding into my mind. My happy mood earlier faded away. I tossed the memories of those events out of my mind. Right now all I needed to do was concentrated on the movie and sleepover with Angela and Ben.

I headed inside and was shocked to see how huge the store was. I know it shouldn't be a surprise considering that I had already been here before but that was only…a few weeks ago. Ok, never mind. Ignore my comment earlier. I headed towards the aisle where the vegetables were. You can't have any Mexican dish without the famous chilies. It adds a certain spice towards the dish. Once I reached there, I noticed that there were certain types of chilies. I chose the ones that looked the ripest and the spiciest. I hope they could handle the spiciness of the chilies. I reached my hand out to grab the bag with what looked to be the ripest and the spiciest chilies in them when I brushed hands with another person who had their eyes on that exact bag of chilies. I immediately pulled back my hand and turned my head to face the person. I was shocked to see who it was. I never expected to bump into this person, one who I wanted to avoid since the attitude change.

**AN: Can any of you guess who the person Bella bumped into? There is a hint of the person in this chapter; you just have to look carefully. My mid terms are starting tomorrow, so I wouldn't not be updating for a while. I hope you understand and are not disappointed at me. Once again, you don't have to review if you don't want to…Thanks for reading… **

**~*~ asn ~*~**


	17. Chapter 16: Inner Battle

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own twilight...this disclaimer is for the whole story. **

**Chapter 16: Inner Battle**

"Hello, Bella." He said while bringing his hand back to his side.

"Um…hello?" I said which sounded like a question. I immediately took my hand back as well.

We stared at each other for a while as an uncomfortable formed around us. Just as I was about to explode from all the silence which was killing me, he spoke.

"So, um…how have you been?" He asked.

"Well, I've been doing, ok, I guess." I replied.

"Good to know." That was all he said before we returned to another round of uncomfortable silence. I couldn't take this anymore, so I continued on with my grocery shopping while pretending that he wasn't standing right next to me. I grabbed the bag full of chilies and was about to head off to another aisle to get the cheese that would be used as the dipping for the nachos, when he grabbed my shoulder. I turned around to face his questioning gaze on me. It took him a while to speak but then he did.

"Why have you been ignoring us, Bella?" He asked me. Wow he doesn't just beat around the bush.

"Well…um you see…um." I was about to give him some lame excuse but then flash backs of the reason I ignored at the beginning began to play in my mind. The hurt I felt when I found out Jake and his friends did this. And the constant stares the Cullens and Hales keep giving me. And the tones of emotion I felt when I connected the two together. I know I didn't have real prove but isn't it such a weird coincidence that the Cullens and Hales starting acting strange around me just about a few days after the 'creepy caller' guy which just so happens to be Jake called me. Coincidence, I think not. That's when all the emotion I felt earlier came crashing on me like a huge wave. The emotions I felt were a little too intense for me to control and so they managed to slip and I started yelling at him.

"LIKE YOU DON'T KNOW WHY I HAVE BEEN IGNORING YOU! PLEASE, I KNOW THIS IS ALL SOME KIND OF LAME JOKE THAT YOU GUYS WANTED PLAY ON THE PATHETIC INVISIBLE PERSON, ISN'T THAT RIGHT? I GUESS I MAKE AN EASY TARGET FOR YOU GUYS SEEING THAT I'M ALREADY A FREAK! YOU ALL PRETENDED TO BE MY FRIEND SO I WOULDN'T SUSPECT ANYTHING BUT TOO BAD YOUR PLAN BACK FIRED ON YOU. UGH! I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE THIS. I'VE BEEN HERE FOR ABOUT A FEW WEEKS AND I ALREADY FELT FOR SOMEONES ACT. I SHOULD HAVE JUST STUCK WITH WHAT I BELIEVED IN. THAT NO ONE WOULD EVER CARE ABOUT ME. UGH!" I practically yelled at him. I was just so mad right now. I couldn't even think straight. I felt the rage boiling in me and I wanted to punch something right now. I was pulled out of my rage when someone said something.

"Ms, I would appreciate it if you would refrain yourself from making a scene here." He said while shifting his gaze between me and Jasper to see what caused all this to happen. I totally forgot that I was in the supermarket and that I might have just humiliated myself…and Jasper. But who cares about him, he and his so called 'friends' did this to me.

"I'm so sorry. That won't happen again." I said a little too sweetly with a fake smile plastered on my face. He looked at me for a while before heading off to where he came from.

"Bella, are you okay?" An annoying voice asked me. It sounded a little familiar but I couldn't quite place it. Oh wait I know, it was that jerk Jasper. I know I shouldn't be thinking this stuff about him considering that I don't have any prove to back up my assumptions. I flinched away when his palm met my right shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm just peachy." I replied through my gritted-teeth. I walked all the way to the dairy aisle and didn't look back at him. I searched for the right kind of cheese to use but I couldn't find it anywhere. I kept looking and looking until it came out of nowhere right it front of my eyes. I looked at it then smiled which then faded as soon as I saw who was holding it. It was the jerk from before. I couldn't look at him but I just grabbed the cheese and fled from there.

While grabbing one of the last items on my list, I checked my watch and was shocked to see that I only had about half an hour before they come for the sleep over. I rushed towards the counter to pay for the groceries that I had in the basket I was holding. There was a line in front of me and it didn't look short to me. I searched around for another line but all of them had just as many people as mine did. Surprisingly, I found it odd that they were so many people in Thriftway on a Saturday afternoon. It was about 20 minutes later before it was my turn. I quickly paid for those things and grabbed them before rushing of to my precious baby.

Just as I was opening the door to my baby, I heard a thunderous sound. You know how curious I can be right, so I turned towards the direction of the sound and saw Jasper riding away on a silver, sleek motorcycle. I looked kind of cool for a while before I remembered that I hated him and his 'friends' and stared, ok more like glared at the direction he headed off to. I put the groceries in my truck and headed towards the driver seat. I warmed up my baby before driving it back to my house.

When I reached there, I saw two people standing outside with a bag each in their hands. That was when I remembered that they were coming for a sleep over at 4.00 in the evening. And I was late. Wow, some host I was. Invite someone to your house and your not even there. Terrible! I got out of the truck leaving the groceries inside and raced towards the front door where they were standing at.

"Hi guys!" I managed to say after a while of panting. I was finally able to breathe normally before I turned to them. "I am so sorry for keeping you waiting here so long. I was just getting things for the sleep over. You guys must think I'm such a bad host, right?" I said while opening the door for them to enter the house. They entered the house without saying a word to me. I stared behind them with a shocked expression.

Random information here. You know that sometimes when something happens in your life, you usually have this inner debate with yourself on what to do about it, right? Well, I rarely have these occurrences. I only experience it when…well I actually don't know because it comes as the spur of the moment. So just a heads up, this is just one of those unlucky moments when I have this experience. So, I guess you could say you were lucky to witness this experience. Ok, enough of my rambling, back to the story. One part of my mind is in _italic_, which is the good part and the other is in **bold **which is the bad/mean part. Hope you understand the complexity of my mind.

(*Poof appears a miniature cartoon devil*) **Well, looks like they hate you. There goes your chance of making actual friends here in Forks. Maybe you should pack up your things and ship yourself off to other country, on the other side of the world perhaps. Ooh, how about Australia. I've always wanted to go there.** (*Bounces up and down happily*)

(*Poof appears a miniature cartoon angel*) _First of all, would you stop thinking so negatively about things? They may still like you. If you exclude all the weird things you have done. And second, Australia?! What are you going to do there, huh?_ (*Stares at devil with an eye brow raised*)

(*Crosses his arms angrily and huffed*) **I'm not thinking negatively. It's just how my mind works. If it didn't, we wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place. And there is nothing wrong with Australia. Unlike some people I know, I like it. It has a wide variety of nature and animals.** (*Stares at angel*)

(*Stares at devil with mouth wide open*) _WOAH! Someone's been studying their geography. Impressive…for a beginner! You've got a point with your first statement. I disagree though with your second one. I never said I didn't like it. Its' pretty…cool, I guess. I however prefer Switzerland. Everything about it is amazing, especially the fact that we can snow boarding. Yeah!_ (*Bounces up and down with excitement*)

(*shudders*) **Ugh, it's too cold there. I'm more of a warm weather person. And besides who says you get to snowboarding. We don't even exist. We are just figments of Bella's imagination. Technically, we only appear when she is having one of her rare moments and has nothing to say.** (*looks at angel with a smirk on her face*)

(*roll eyes and ignores that smirk*) _Whatever! Just because I complimented you with your geography doesn't mean you have to brag about your knowledge. Anyway, I think this conversation is practically a waste of time. Some of us don't even know what is going on_. (*Smirking at devil*)

(*Stares at angel innocently and sympathetically*) **It's ok. You will catch up eventually. It's about time that brain of yours went dead. I was wondering when it would have died of overload. Brain damage! Hahaha!** (*Tears rolling down her face*)

(*Stares at devil in shock*) _What?! I wasn't talking about me, you idiot. I was talking about you._

(*Looks at angel with utter a mocking expression*) **You seize to amaze me, girl. Attention universe, my friend here has finally learnt how to insult. Hey, she reminds a lot of Jake**. (*Shouts to the fellow readers*)

(*Utter shock expression on her face*) _Oh my gosh! You did not just go there. You how she gets when one of us thinks about the Cullens, the Hales or even Jake and his friends. I can't believe you. We are ending this conversation and next time I see you I am going to pummel you so hard._ (*Glares at devil*)

(*Smile apologetically*) **I'm really sorry. It just slipped out. I didn't mean to. Do you think this would effect her actions during the sleep over?**

(*Glares at devil even more*) _It better not. She was going to tell them the secret and if she decides last minute that she can't trust anyone, you are so dead. See ya!_ (*Poof angel disappears*)

(*Talks by herself*) **Whatever! By the way, I can't die. I'm not real**. (*Shouts at angel then disappears*)

_WHATEVER!_ (*Angel shouts back and all is back to quiet in the land of Bella's imagination*)

Ok, I have officially lost it. I didn't even know my imagination was that wild? And I thought in the cartoons, one of them was suppose to be the good one and the other evil. Here, they are both just sarcastic. I was snapped out of my thoughts when Angela called for my attention.

"Bella?" She said with a little annoyed expression on her face. She was talking to me with her hands on her hips.

"Yeah?" I asked timidly. I thought they would make great friends. I guess I blew that chance away. Bye bye! Never going to get you back.

Out of no where, Angela and Ben started laughing at me. They were laughing so hard that tears rolled down their faces. I wish I could experience that. Oh wait I did with…Jake. Just then my expression turned to a sad one. I admit it doesn't feel the same without Jake in my life. I just wished things could go back to how they were before those fools decided to play a prank on me. What they did was a little too cruel to be forgiven that easily but eventually I would forgive them. As they say time heals all wounds. I just have to wait for the moment I'm ready to forgive them.

While I was consumed in my thoughts, Angela and Ben seem to sense the change in the atmosphere around them. They stopped laughing and stared at me before saying something.

"I'm sorry, Bella. We didn't mean for you to react like that. It's just that when we saw your expression when you came rushing to the front door from your truck, we wanted to play a little game on you. I hope you mad at us but considering the emotion on your face right now, you are." Angela said before stepping back towards Ben.

"I think we will leave now." Ben said while grabbing his things and Angela's things. I was all too shocked to notice what was going on. They played a prank on me. Just like the others. But theirs is not that bad…but it's still a prank. What if they decide to play another prank on me but on a higher scale? I don't I would be handle that hurt I felt when I found out what Jake.

The look on their faces when they said they were sorry looked really true. Unless they happen to amazing actors which I doubt because then they would both be amazing actors if they could pull of what they did again. I don't think they were acting. They just wanted to play a harmless prank on me. Everyone usually does that to their friends, right? I don't want them to leave because of 2 reasons. One, I would have no friends because this would come off as awkward if I leave it as it is. And second, I need to cook the dinner I bought because in my opinion, I'm guessing that Charlie doesn't like spicy food. The look on his face when I made the spicy fish was priceless. From then I could guess his taste buds doesn't react well to spiciness. I went outside and saw them walking in direction.

"Angela! Ben!" I called them as I ran after them. They turned around and saw me running towards them. I saw the look of confusion crossed between them. I was panting once again. I must really work out if I want to avoid feeling like this again.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I wasn't mad a you. I was just thinking about something else. Sorry! You want to come back to my sleep over. It wouldn't be much of a sleep over if there was no one there. Please?" I said while thinking about giving them pout to convince them but then I remembered what Charlie said about it and I stopped myself before I embarrassed myself further.

"Sure! We would love to, if you'll have to of course. But just a question when you said you were thinking about something that was why you had that expression on your face, you were thinking about your secret weren't you?" Angela asked. I should have known not to show too much expression on my face. Angela in my opinion is a very observant person. I should known she would figure it out sooner or later.

"Yeah! You're right. Why don't we go inside and I'll tell you all about it." I said as I led them in the direction of my house.

"Are you sure? You don't have to tell us if you don't want to." Ben said. He is so sweet just like Angela. No wonder they like each other.

"It's ok. I want to…need to tell someone about it. It's just that you are the only people I can trust." I said to them. We finally made it to the house and I asked them to take a seat on the couch while I go fix a drink. I then remembered that the groceries were still in the truck. I excused myself and ran towards the truck but when I reached there I couldn't stop myself from running that I banged into the door of my truck.

"Ow!" I got up and examined my head. The pain didn't feel too bad. Nothing I couldn't handle. I grabbed all the groceries and headed towards the house. When I reached there, Angela and Ben were talking about something. I slipped into the kitchen without their knowledge and made some poured some lemonade for them and myself. I brought the cups to the living room and handed it to them. They didn't notice my slight throbbing head. I was thinking that I could actually go through the sleep over without it actually being discovered. But that thought was shattered when I turned towards chair across from theirs and Angela saw the bruise.

"Oh my gosh! Bella, what happened?" She asked me.

"It was nothing really. Just me and my clumsiness." I sighed but then continued "So do you want to my secret?" I asked still not to sure about telling but knowing that I needed to.

"As we said before you don't have to tell us but by the look on your face, I'm guessing you need to tell us not that we are forcing you but because it looks like it could help you." Angela said. I laughed.

"You know, with what you have guessed so far, I think you could a physiologist when you grow older." I told her.

"Actually that was what I was planning to do but thanks to your encouragement, I think I will. But enough about me, back to you. So what is this big secret that you keep telling us about?" She asked. Most people would be shocked at such a direct question as that when it involves your secret but I knew she was just doing this because I was avoiding the topic.

I sighed. "Where should I start?" I said mostly to myself but I guess they could hear it too since Ben responded.

"It would be better to start at the beginning." He suggested. I nodded my head in response and began my story.

**AN: My mid terms are finally over and I have a two week holiday coming up. So I can update a little more frequently. Sadly not many of you made an effort to guess who it was. But they were a few guesses, none correct though. The clue lay hidden in the parking lot of Thriftway, where I mentioned something about a sleek, silver motorcycle. Who do you know in the twilight series owns a sleek, silver motorcycle? In Eclipse, it says it was Edward's bike but then realizing that riding the motorcycle is what Bella does with Jacob, he says he didn't mind and that he would give it to Jasper. He said Jasper was eyeing the motorcycle when Edward bought it. It would have been nice if someone had guessed correctly but oh well. I appreciate the effort some you took to guess who it was. I'm really sorry about the AN that I gave, I was just disappointed that's all. I hope you understand and are not angry at me. Once again, you don't have to review if you don't want to…Thanks for reading… **

**~*~ asn ~*~**


	18. Chapter 17: Secret of the Past

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own twilight...this disclaimer is for the whole story. **

**Chapter 17: Secret of the Past**

I took a deep breath and was about to start my story when I remembered something. I didn't want to get their hopes up with this secret. I just had to tell them this even though it wasn't that important.

"Before I start telling you my story, I just want you to know that this secret that I'm going to tell you is not to be told to anyone else." I said to them. They nodded in response and motioned for me to continue.

"And this secret that I'm about to tell might not be such a big secret. You might think this is an insignificant problem and that I'm just crazy. But I just have to warn you first so you don't get your hopes up." I said. From the expression on their faces, they looked utterly confused as to what I just said. They were looking back and forth between me and each other trying to understand what I just told them.

"What are you talking about?" Ben asked me. I just smiled at him before answering his question.

"Well, let's just say that you might not call my secret/problem an actual secret/problem. You might think of it as something stupid to be called a secret. So I didn't want you to get your hopes up of this being a big secret that you could gossip about with other people." I told them.

"Bella, we would never tell anyone about your secret. We don't care if it's not much of a secret, we know by your expression that you need to tell someone about it even though you might not think of it being such a big deal. It is a problem nevertheless. And we would help you get through it. After all, isn't that what friends are for." Angela answered. I was really touched by this even though she and Ben had mentioned this a few times. I just couldn't get over the fact that there was someone there you actually cared for me besides my dad. Speaking of my dad, I wonder if is having fun there. It must be easy for him having friends all around him that know him for the real him. I hope Jacob didn't tell him anything about our little, ok not so little, but huge fight that took place in his front porch. I also prayed silently that Jake's friends didn't say a think to anyone. It's bad enough that I feel immensely guilty. I don't need to add worry to my list of problems. I was snapped out of my thoughts when I felt something slam right into my face. I couldn't see what was going on but I heard Angela and Ben arguing with each other.

"Why did you do that? I told you that she would come around when she had gathered her thoughts together." Angela said.

"Well, I thought she was just stalling and trying to find a way out of telling us the secret. So I had to do something about it to snap her out of her thoughts of stalling." Ben replied.

"Yeah, and throwing a cushion at her would definitely help." I heard Angela reply sarcastically. "And how do you know she was planning on stalling in the first place. I know that look. She was gathering her thoughts and thinking about something that happened." She said.

"Wow! I didn't know you were this good at reading people. You would definitely make a good psychologist." I interfered with their argument. They stopped arguing with each other and stared at me in shock. The look on their faces tells me that they didn't expect me to her what was going on between them. They stared at me while I was staring at them rubbing my forehead. The silence around us was broken by Angela when she came to me and started apologizing.

"Bella, I'm so sorry about Ben. He can be a little impatient sometimes but he's actually a nice person. He…" Angela apology was interrupted by the sound of the phone ringing. I just smiled at her and got of the couch towards the counter where the phone was making an awful lot of noise with its constant ringing. Before I picked it up, I turned to Angela and Ben.

"It's okay." I said to them before answering the phone. "Hello?" I asked the person on the other line.

"Bella?" The phone slipped of my hands when the person on the other line spoke. Angela and Ben who were still arguing again stopped and stared at me. I took me a while to gather up courage to talk to the person on the other line. I knew that it had to be done somehow but I wasn't ready to talk to that person even though I missed him terribly. I was debating on whether or not to slam the phone down or answer it with the confidence that mysteriously showed up. I chose the latter one because the confidence that slowly build up in me was no coincidence. It had to appear this moment because my mind knew I need it badly. I picked up the phone that was on the floor, looked at Angela and Ben who were giving my small smiles telling me that 'it was ok, we are here' and responded to the person.

"Yeah?" I replied.

"I think we need to talk about this. But before that me and my friends just want to apologize for doing that to you. We didn't mean to. We were…" I didn't hear what he said after that. The anger was starting to boil inside of me again as I recalled the events that happened. It was cruel for them to stoop that low just for a little prank. The anger inside of be was increasing tremendously. I'm guessing that Angela had seen the expression on my face and that was why she came rushing here next to me to grab the phone.

"Um…Bella's busy right. She'll…call you back. Bye!" She said before hanging up on him. She motioned for Ben to come to her. He rushed towards her with a worried expression on his face.

"Take her to the couch will you?" She asked him. I saw him nod to her and suddenly I felt like I was being moved by some unseen force. The next thing I felt was the warm comfort of my couch. After a while, Angela came back with a cup of lemonade. She handed it over to me before taking a sit on the couch across of me with Ben.

"Drink Bella. It will help you." She said with her voice full of command. I took a sip at her request and she was right, I did need this. It helped cool the boiling rage that was manifesting inside of me. After a few sips of lemonade, I was finally calm. I put the cup she gave me on the side table near the couch I was sitting at.

"Thank you…for your help. You too Ben. If it weren't for you, I think I would have spontaneously combusted and yelled at the top of my lungs out at him. Thank goodness I don't have neighbors or else they would have yelled at me for yelling like that." I laughed at bit at that before stopping myself when I noticed their stares towards me.

"Bella, I think you should stop stalling and tell us what we need to know so we can help you. That's all we're trying to do. We're not going to tell anyone about it, we promise. But we know you need help with this problem of yours and we are willing to help you. We just need you to tell us what the problem is first. Do you think you can do that, Bella?" Angela asked me. In her voice, you could hear traces of kindness and honesty. She really does want to help. Ben seems to be wiling too. I don't know what I did to deserve such great friends. I guess the only right thing for me to do is to tell them my problem and trust them. The second one might be a bit of a problem but I guess I could give it a shot.

"Yes!" I answered them.

"Ok Bella, how did this all start, whatever it is?" Angela asked. I thought about it at first before I answered her question.

"Well, I think, wait…no I'm sure it all started 3 years ago." I hesitated a while before Angela and Ben motioned for me to go on.

"I have lived her in Forks all my life until 3 years ago. I'm sure you're wondering how come we never crossed paths. Well, that is because even though I live here, I go to school on the reservation. I rarely go into town. I usually hung out at the reservation with all my friends." I noticed from the corner of my eye that Angela heard the way I said the word 'friends'. But she didn't say anything. So I continued with the story of my past.

"They were all really nice and everything was so great. At that time, I lived with my dad, my mom and dad divorced when I was 3 years because my mom couldn't stand it here. My dad was devastated at first but then that changed when my mom told him that I would stay with him. So he was happy again. He was best friends with Billy Black and Harry Clearwater. During the times when they all went fishing together, he would bring me to their house and I would play with their kids, Rachael, Rebecca and Jacob Black and Leah and Seth Clearwater. I had so much fun there."

"After a few years, when I was about 13 years old, Jake introduced me to a few of his friends. They were Quil, Embry, Paul, Jared, and Sam. If you noticed, that most of my friends are guys. I rarely hung out with the girls but once in a while Sam, Quil, and Jared would bring their girlfriends along with them. And after that I got really close with them."

"When I was 14 years old, I and the guys thought that Jake and Leah would make such a great couple. So we devised a plan that would get them on the friendly side first. Jake and Leah really hated each other. We had no idea why but they just did. I took us about a few weeks to figure out a plan. When we finally put the plan was fully planned out, we decided to engage it during the summer break. That day, when I got home, I saw my dad on the couch. He looked miserable. I have never seen my dad act like that. He wasn't a man of emotions. But there he was, just staring at the TV, even though it was off with a sad expression on his face. I asked him what the problem was. He turned to look at me and said that my mom wanted me to come live with her. I wanted to protest as much as I could but I knew in the end I wouldn't win. Dad said that mom had as much of a parental authority to ask me to come live with her as dad did. So in the end, I was going to live with my mom in Phoenix. I had only until the first day of summer before I left my home."

"I cried a lot because I was going to miss my dad and my friends terribly. There were really great friends. When I told them about it, they were devastated. But then they cheered me up by telling me that they brought forward the plan for Jake and Leah. The sad news was that the day that they were going to the plan, was the day I was going to leave to Phoenix. They said that they would try to bring the plan forward but I told them it was ok. I was only there for the plan; I didn't get to see the out come of it. It was sad actually, but what could I have done? One the day that I was going to leave, we promised that we would keep in touch and still be friends. It was a really sad day for me but I had to be strong and endure it. I wanted to make my mom happy."

"Sadly when I was in Phoenix, I lost in touch with the guys. So I never heard from them until I came back here again. My stay in Phoenix was…interesting. My step dad, Phil, he was a minor league baseball player, so me and my mom had to move many times. It was around 6 months before out first move to New York. My experience in school is where everything changed and the problem started. Back at the reservation, I was really clumsy and a blushed numerous of times. Sadly, those habits are still with me. I wanted a complete change, so I decided to change everything about me, except my name of course. During my first day, I observed the way the students acted. I wanted to become popular because back at the reservation I wasn't, I think. Anyway, the next day, I dressed and acted like one of the populars and by the end of the week, I was popular. A lot of people hung around all the times. It took some time getting used to all the attention but I managed. When it was time for me to move, I said goodbye and was of to New York."

"When I was there, I realized that the popular act was getting too old. So I observed the students there during the first day, and I decided on becoming a girl jock. It was actually pretty fun. The next day, I dressed and acted like one of the jocks. And by the end of the week, I was a girl jock. It was an interesting experience. I actually had fun playing baseball with Phil, considering I was a girl jock. The best part was when I managed to out score him. But sadly, because Phil was a minor league baseball player, we had to move again after another 6 months. We moved to Alaska. Don't ask why out of all the other places in the United States, we had to move to Alaska. We just had to. The school life was practically the same, I changed my act. I chose to act as a nerd. Honestly, it was more fun than acting as a popular person. The girl jock was still the best. So after a week, I was a nerd, although we prefer the term, IA, which stands for intelligent achievers."

"Once again, after another 6 months, we moved to another place and I got another personality was getting old. It wasn't really getting old; it was more that I was tired of acting as that kind of person. So that routine went on until I finally had enough. We were back at Phoenix at the time. My mom told me that we were moving again. She said something about going to Boston. I don't know I wasn't really paying attention. I told her I had enough and that I would prefer going back to live with Charlie. She threw a fit saying that Charlie wasn't fit to raise me or something along those lines. I guess she forgot that Charlie was the one that raised me until I was 14 years old. After I begged a couple of times, she allowed me to go back to Forks. When I was on the plane, I started thinking how all my old friends would have been."

I paused for a while, wondering how I was going to say the next part. Angela and Ben were staring me and Angela motioned for me to continue. I sighed before continuing my story.

"So the truth was that after all those times of acting as someone else…I kind of lost my self somewhere along the lines. I couldn't remember who I was before. My whole personality was a mystery to me. And I was worried of how my friends would act. Those people back at all the places I have been weren't my friends. They only hung with me because of who I was acting as. They didn't like me for who I am. And that mad me sad a little because I was tired of pretending. I wanted to go back to who I was before I moved away. But I couldn't because I didn't remember a thing. I ignored that fact at first. I told myself that I would deal with it later. When I reached home, my dad was waiting for me. I hadn't seen him in 3 years so I kind of forgotten how he looked like."

"When I was at home, Billy and Jake came over. I didn't recognize them at first but then Jake smiled and that was a smile that you could recognize from a mile away. I completely forgot about the fact that I didn't who I was. Personality wise, of course. That day Jake and I went to Thriftway because I discovered that my dad didn't know how to work the stove. So I offered to cook. When we were in Thriftway, Jake was acting a bit weird. He was trying to ask me something but then he bit his tongue. Not literally of course. Then he told me that he liked Leah and I was shocked that the plan that we had devised 3 years ago actually worked. They slowly got a long and Jake developed feelings towards Leah. Shocking actually. I wanted to embarrass him a little because he use to do that to me when I lived her before. I managed to get him to shout out that he likes Leah and guess what? She was right behind him when he said that. When I acknowledge Leah's presence, Jake didn't turn around to face her because of 2 reasons. One, because he was blushing really, really hard and two, because he was glaring hard at me. I just smiled and walked into Thriftway leaving them behind."

After I finished telling them that, they both started laughing so hard. They calm down after a while and motioned for me continue.

"When I was in Thriftway, Jake told me that he finally asked Leah to be his girlfriend and that she said yes. I was so happy for him that I didn't see way I was walking and I banged right into someone. I looked up and saw Emmett. Of course, I didn't it was him at first, he had to introduce himself. He was really funny. After the day at Thriftway, I went to sleep. I stared thinking about what I was going to do at school. I begged Charlie to let me go back to the reservation but he said that he had already enrolled me in Forks High. So I was obliged to go there. When I was at school, I met Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper. The odd thing was that Emmett and Jasper saw me but Rosalie and the principal didn't. I…" I was cut of by Ben asking a question.

"Wait, what do you mean the principal?" He asked.

"Well, the principal came to check what was going on. At that time I bumped into Emmett and I asked him where my class. He said that he had the exact same class as me. He told me that he was waiting for Rosalie and Jasper then he would take me to class. So I just followed him towards the parking lot where Rosalie and Jasper just arrived. The principal so happen to pass by at that moment. Emmett smooth talks the principal and the principal was on his way when he banged into me. He turned around not because he was helping me up because Emmett and Jasper were laughing so hard. Rosalie however looked confused. The principal then just went on his way. It was as if the principal didn't see me. It was like I was invisible. I was worried at first that I would get so much attention considering that I was the new student. But in the end, everyone except for the Cullens, the Hales, and you guys ignored me. It was not like they saw me, there were gossiping about the new student. Yet, they didn't know I was here. It was like my life turned from being the center of attention to being invisible to half the school population. I figured out that a person only sees me when they look me in the eye. If they don't then I would be practically invisible to them. Which is not really a bad thing in my case. I had a problem early trying to figure out who to act as since I lost my personality. But since that I'm invisible to half the school, I decided to play the quiet and shy girl that nobody would care about. Then you guys came, you, the Cullens and the Hales. You guys seemed really nice and I didn't want to lie to anybody anymore. So that was why I didn't answer any of your questions on the first day. During that week, I sometimes forget the act that I was suppose to put on, which never happened to me before. I always remembered who I was supposed to play. That was why by the end, I completely ignored you guys, until this week." I sighed.

"Anyway, that's the story of my past. So now you know that my problem is that I don't even know who I am anymore. I lost myself completely. I tried really hard to retrace my steps but I couldn't remember anything." I told them.

"Bella, did you actually think that we would make fun of you just because you didn't know who you were. We would never to that Bella. When I said we were here to help, I was kidding. Ben and I are going to help you find out who you are. Don't worry about it." Angela said.

"Thanks so much Angela and Ben. You guys are really great friends." I said while giving them a smile. Angela smiled back but Ben was thinking hard about something.

"What is it Ben?" I asked him.

"Well, I understand your past and the problem you are having but what I don't get is why you have been avoiding the Cullens and the Hales this past week? What do they have to do with anything?" He asked. He looked worried as though I might yell at him for asking such a question.

"It's ok, Ben. What I told you so far is actually half my secret. That was about the past and how I lost my personality. Now I'm going to tell what happened to me this past week that caused me to act the way I was." I replied.

And I began telling them about the events that occurred this past week.

**AN: Now you guys know Bella's secret. Not really such a big secret as I mentioned a few times. I hope you guys liked that chapter and I hope I didn't disappoint you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Once again, you don't have to review if you don't want to…Thanks for reading… **

**~*~ asn ~*~**


	19. Chapter 18: Current Issues

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own twilight...this disclaimer is for the whole story. **

**Chapter 18: Latest Secret**

"OK, well um…I was wondering if you could tell me what you have observed of me since I came back to Forks a few weeks ago. That might help me a bit to tell you the rest of my secret. Would that be ok?" I asked them because I wanted to know how I acted around them and the Cullens and the Hales.

"Of course, we have no problem with that, right Ben?" Angela asked Ben.

"Sure. We would do whatever it takes to help you. That's why we're here." Ben said

"Thanks guys. Did I ever tell you how much it means to me to know there are actually people out there who are willing to help through anything?" I said to them while giving them a genuine smile. For the first time this week, I have been able to give somebody a genuine smile and not a fake smile that has been shown on my face.

"Actually no you haven't." Ben said with a smile of his own.

"And we're in here not out there." Angela said with a smile covering her face as well. We stared at each other for a while with that smile on our face before bursting up with laughter. It took us a while before we all finally calmed down.

"Ok, you were asking us what we thought about you during your stay here at Forks, right." Angela asked while taking deep breaths because of the lost of breath we all felt when we were laughing our heads off over nothing. I couldn't find my voice so I just nodded.

"Well at first, I thought you were a sweet girl who was very shy since you didn't talk much in the cafeteria when we were first introduced." Angela said. I nodded for her to go on because I was intrigued by what she said.

"Well, throughout the week, we tried getting to know because you were new and we wanted to be your friends but you kept pushing us out of the way. It was as though you didn't want us to know anything about you, like you were afraid that we would judge you." Angela said. But before she could go on, Ben interrupted.

"You were, weren't you?" He asked me.

"What?" I was confused by his question because my mind was having flashes of all that has happened since I came back to Forks.

"You were afraid that we would judge because you didn't know who you were, right? That was why you avoided any of the questions we threw at you. You were trying to protect yourself from the embarrassment if we so happen to make fun of you if you told us." Ben said

"Yeah! That and because I didn't want to hurt you guys as well." I told them.

"What do you mean? What does this have to do with us?" Angela seemed genuinely confused with what I had just said.

"Well, during the first week, not only have I been ignoring the questions you have thrown at me but I also have been avoiding all of you as much as possible. I didn't want to get close to you guys because I was afraid that if I did then I would have to lie to you guys which I didn't want to do because you guys seem like great people and it would hurt me if I lied to you. That's basically it." I told them.

"Wow. So you were mainly trying to protect us as well as yourself?" Ben asked me.

"Yeah! I guess I kind of approached it the wrong way. I should have just told you guys in the first place instead of keeping it a secret. That would definitely have caused less complication between us." I told them.

"You did what you thought would be best for you and for us. We understand it, so don't beat yourself up for it." Angela said.

"Ok, thanks. I guess I should continue where I left off." I said.

"Yeah you should." Ben replied. I laughed a bit at his expression.

"Ok, well, you know that this past two weeks, I have been avoiding you more than the weeks before, right." I said to them. They both nodded in reply.

"Ok, well, remember the day when I was asking you whether you knew where the Cullens and the Hales where in school?" I asked Angela.

"Yeah!" She answered.

"And you told me that they were discussing something private, right?" I asked her again. This time she just nodded.

"Well, I guess you didn't notice was that they I was a little more vibrant than usual." Before I could continue, Ben interrupted me, again.

"Wait, you said more vibrant than usual. No offense or anything but you were never vibrant when you were with us." Ben told me. I thought about that for a while and realized that he was right. I was never vibrant around them. Only once have I been vibrant when I came to Forks and that was after I came out of the hospital because of the class disaster. And that was also around the Cullens and the Hales.

"Oh, I guess I never told you guys this. But my first day here wasn't exactly a smooth sailing one. While walking to my desk at the back of the class, I fell and hit my head on the side of the table. Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper took me to the hospital because Emmett's dad was a doctor or something. Well, after I was released from the hospital, I met Alice and Edward and we started talking and Alice said something about me acting all vibrant. I didn't know I was at first; it was as if it came naturally. But then I realized that I was suppose to playing a role and I automatically switched to the quiet, shy girl part. That was the only time I was vibrant when I came here." I told them.

"So when you said more vibrant than before, you meant that you were more vibrant than that time when you were with the Cullens and the Hales after you were released from the hospital." Ben said. I nodded in response to his statement.

"Ok, where was I?" I said to myself but somehow I think I said it a bit too loudly that Angela heard it answered it for me.

"Well, you were saying that I didn't notice that you were more vibrant than usual." Angela said.

"Oh right, thanks. The reason I was more vibrant than the last time was that I was going to tell the Cullens and the Hales the few things that I found out about my personality." I said. But once again…well you could guess what happened. You can't? Oh well, let me give you a hint. Someone interrupted me…again. I wonder who it was. You guessed it…Ben!

"I thought you said you had no clue what so ever about your personality at all." Ben asked me.

"I don't. But something happened the week before that. That is part of the secret and if you keep interrupting me, I wouldn't be able to tell you everything. OK, well, as I said something happened the week before. I got a call from someone. I didn't know who this person was. But this person claimed to know everything about me. When I first got the call, he said _'I know who you are.'_ Then he hung up. I was really freaked out. Some stranger claimed to know me. Then the next day, he called again at the exact time as the day before. He told me some of the things he knew about me but he didn't tell me everything because he was warning me that this was not his last call." I was going to continue but Ben interrupted me again.

"Sorry, sorry. I just want to know why is this weirdo calling you and telling you all the things he knows about you. That is plain…weird." Ben said.

"I haven't finished. He told me the reason he was telling me all this was because he warned me that this was serious and that if I ever mentioned this to anyone, he would use all the information he had about against me." I told them.

"Then why are you telling us. We don't want you to get in trouble because by the sound of this, this guy is serious. I'm really worried. What if he uses the information he has against you? Aren't you worried at all for your safety?" Angela said worryingly. Ben wrapped his arms around her trying to calm her down. I never thought that Angela was the type of person to freak out about anything that seemed dangerous. Well, there's nothing really wrong about that. It's just that, I kind of thought that she would be the kind of person to remain calm in these types of situation. I surprised them even more by laughing out loud. I know what you are thinking. How could I do that when my friends are panicking over something stupid? What kind of friend am I? But then you can't blame them. You haven't told them the rest of the story. My bad!

"What's so funny?" Ben asked me while calming down Angela who was freaking out even more thinking of all the possibilities that the weirdo guy would come after us.

"Nothing! Calm down Angela." I tried to tell her to calm down.

"How can I calm down when something bad could possibly happen to the three of us?" She asked.

"Relax! I haven't told you the rest of my secret yet. It is important. And you would realize why I'm telling you to calm down." I replied. She nodded her head in reply.

"Ok, well as you know this…weirdo has been telling me stuff about me including some of the things I don't know. Like my personality. I was actually thrilled to be getting this kind of information even though it was from someone who I didn't know. Now back to where I left of. That day, I was looking for the Cullens and the Hales because I wanted to tell the few things that I learnt of myself. I didn't tell you at first because we weren't that close and they were the first people I met when I came here. So when I found them, I headed over to the table where they were whispering some things. I said hi to them and after that they were extremely quiet and they were all staring at me. I found it really uncomfortable and decided to head back to class. As I was leaving, I heard one of them saying '_try not to make it too obvious_.' I ignored that and headed back to class. But after that incident, they were acting really, really strange around me. They kept watching me like a hawk. After a few times catching them stealing glances at me, I figured out that what they were discussing was about me. So I didn't tell them anything and I ignored them as much as possible."

"Ok, no offense but that was a bit too weird. The Cullens and the Hales doing that. It's just odd. We have known them since middle school." Ben said.

"Yeah I agree." Angela said.

"Anyway, that they when I came home I was exhausted so I fell asleep. My dad came I woke me up and I when I looked at my alarm clock, it read 9.30pm. I realized that I missed the weirdo phone call. He calls everyday at the exact same time. The reason my dad woke me up was because he said that I had a call waiting for me. I immediately knew that it was the weirdo calling me. I rushed downstairs eager to hear more things about me. I know what you're thinking. I must be a complete idiot to actually want to hear what the creepy caller has to say." I was about to continue but… you know I think I will stop saying this and just move on because it is seriously annoying to keep saying that someone is interrupting you. I'm sure you know who it is, so I don't have to say anything.

"The what?" Ben asked.

"Oh, I call him the creepy caller. It sounds cooler." I told them. They both just motioned for me to continue.

"Well, during that call he did nothing but tell me about all of my friends when I lived her last time. He talked about Jake, Embry, Quil…you know all the guys I mentioned about in the first secret. I was really sad because he didn't tell me anything knew about my personality. After I put down the phone, I just sat there replaying all that he had told me. My dad interrupted my thought. He asked me what the surprise was. Ironically, I was surprised. I had no idea what he was talking about. He told me that Jake called and told him that he had a surprise for me that was why he woke me up from my sleep." I said.

"Wait, so you're telling me that the weirdo or the creepy caller is Jacob Black, your best friend." Ben asked me.

"Exactly." I said. I didn't notice that my voice was a little sad about that.

"Wow! I'm really sorry. Maybe they had a hidden reason for doing that?" Angela said.

"I highly doubt it. That weekend I confronted him and his friends about it. They denied it at first until one of them gave in. I was so angry that I lashed out at them terribly. I feel guilty about it until today but I can't feeling hurt that they would stoop this low just for a prank." I told them. After a long silence among us, Ben finally said something.

"Do they know that you didn't know who you are?" Ben asked me.

"I'm not sure. I never told them. So I'm guessing they don't know." I replied.

"But they could have figured it out when you were hanging around them when you came back, right?" Ben asked.

"Not really. I only hung around with Jake once that was the first day when I arrived. This past weeks, I haven't had the time to actually hang out with them and then what they did…well I would definitely not want to hang around them after that." I said.

"You know, it is possible that they didn't know that they were stooping that low even for a prank." Angela said.

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

"Well, you said that you didn't think that they knew you didn't know who you were right?" She asked. I just nodded.

"Well, don't you think that because they didn't know about that, that they didn't think what they did was stooping too low?" Angela said.

"What?" Ben and I said at the same time. I didn't understand what she just said. I guess Ben was feeling confused as well.

"Well, because they didn't know about your personality thing, they thought they were just playing some harmless prank. You can't blame them for stooping low because as you said there is a possibility of them not knowing your personality loss." Angela said.

"Oh! I guess I should have thought about me more clearly before I did anything." I said.

"Exactly." Angela replied.

"Wait, what has this got to do with the Cullens and the Hales?" Ben asked me.

"Well, you remember how I told you that they were acting strange around me. I sort of assumed that they had something to do with what Jake and his friends did." I told them.

"How could you be so sure? Think you think that maybe you were wrong?" Angela asked.

"Well, it definitely couldn't be a coincidence that they so happen to watch me like a hawk on the same week as the creepy phone call. They have got to be involved somehow." I replied.

"I have to admit that it being a coincidence is out. Sorry Angie." Ben said.

"I guess. Don't you think that you should confront them about it? Maybe find out why they were all acting strange around you." Angela suggested.

"I thought about that but I didn't want to experience the guilt I felt after lashing out at Jake and his friends." I said.

"Yeah, I guess you are right." Angela said.

"Well, that's basically my whole secret and the reason of all my actions." I said

"I'm so sorry Bella that this had to happen to you. Don't worry me and Angie would never tell anyone about this. We would be here for you. You could count on us." Ben said.

"Thanks Ben and Angela. You guys are the greatest. Anyway enough about that. Let the sleepover begin." I said to them with a real smile on my face. I was really happy to have such great friends like Ben and Angela. I feel as though a great weight has been lifted out my shoulder.

**AN: Now you guys know Bella's secret. Not really such a big secret as I mentioned a few times. I hope you guys liked that chapter and I hope I didn't disappoint you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Once again, you don't have to review if you don't want to…Thanks for reading… **

**~*~ asn ~*~**


	20. Chapter 19: Sleepover

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own twilight...this disclaimer is for the whole story. **

**Chapter 19: Sleepover Flashbacks**

"Bye Angela! Bye Ben! Thanks for coming." I said to them as they were leaving to go home.

"Bye Bella." Angela said.

"Thanks for inviting us." Ben said.

"No problem. See you guys at school on Monday." I said while waving to them as their cars drove away, speeding down the road.

I sighed as I shut the front door. I went to the living room and sat on the couch, thinking about the fun sleep over I had. Angela and Ben were really great and funny people to hang out with. Unlike some people I know.

_Flashback:_

_"So there were three girls. A brunette, a red head and a blonde. They wanted to be apart of a NASA program. They all had to be interviewed first. So the organizers called the brunette in first. They asked her a question._

_'If you could go to any planet which would it be and why?' _

_She answered them saying 'Well, I would really like to go to Mars because I heard that some life force has been discovered there.' _

_The organizers said that thank you and that they would get back to her. They then called in the red head to be interview. They asked her the same question. She answered by saying 'I would honestly love to go to Saturn so I can see all the rings.'_

_They told her that they would get back to her. They then called in the blonde and asked her the same question. She answered them by saying 'Well, the sun is really pretty so I would like to go there.'_

_They asked her 'why would you want to go there when it's blazing hot and you could die?' _

_She replied 'Haha…do you think I'm stupid. I would go there at night, of course.'_

_We were all laughing at Ben's joke. We had just finished watching Cats the musical. Surprisingly, Ben suggested that we watch it. He said that he watched it once and fell in love with it. After he said that Angela smacked him with the cushion saying 'how could you? I thought you told me I was your first love.' And we were all laughing at that. I remembered that when she said that we didn't stop laughing for about 20 minutes. _

_We were currently sitting in the living room watching A Walk to Remember. We decided to take turns picking out a movie. Ben had his turn and so did Angela. Oddly enough, they both shared a love for musicals and Andrew Lloyd Webber because Angela so happen to pick out her favorite movie which was the Phantom of the Opera. Now it was my turn. I went with my favorite, A Walk to Remember. Usually when guys see this movie, they would think it was stupid and sissy. But Ben said he had never seen it before and that shocked both me and Angela. But after a while of starring at Ben with shock, Angela turned to face me and said that she hadn't seen it as well. I must have looked like a statue to Angela and Ben because I was starring at them without even moving a muscle. But that only lasted about a few minutes. Don't blame me, I have to breathe as well, you know. _

_After my frozen state of shock moment, I asked them "how could guys not have watched A Walk to Remember? It is a classic movie. The best one, yet."_

_"Well, I don't know. I heard it was good but never got the chance to watch it." Angela confessed._

_"Well, you can't blame me. It came out the same time as another movie. And I wasn't so crazy about it. But curiosity got to me and I wanted to watch both but after watching the other movie, I forgot all about." Ben confessed as well._

_"Ok, Angela's reason is understandable but yours? How could you forget to watch the best movie ever? Well, after you watch it, I can bet you that you would never forget it." I said to them._

_"You're on. I'll bet 5 bucks that I would forget the movie." Ben replied smugly._

_"Fine! You've got yourself a deal." I said while shaking hands with him._

_"Um…could I say something?" Angela asked._

_"Yeah sure!" Ben replied._

_"Well, how would you know if you have forgotten the movie? It would take about a few months or a year for you to forget something." Angela said._

_"Well, that's easy. After the movie, I'll ask Ben whether he finds the movie boring, which is rather unlikely or whether he finds the movie unforgettable. Then if he finds it boring, I'll pay him 5 bucks and vice versa." I said._

_"You have so much confidence that I would not find this movie boring, don't you?" Ben asked me with another smug smile on his face._

_"Yeah! I'll pay you 5 bucks if you find this movie but before I give you a smack. You must insane if after watching it, you find it boring." I replied. Before Ben could reply, Angela interrupted him._

_"Could we just get on with the movie, please? My cat is burning with curiosity already." She said._

_"What cat?" Ben asked the same time I asked "I didn't know you had a cat?"_

_"Not a real one. The little cat inside of me." She said._

_"Don't you know what happened to the cat when he is curious?" I asked while winking at Ben. Ben caught on to what I was up to._

_"Yeah! He got killed. Cuz' curiosity killed the cat." Ben said while giving me and high five. Ben and I were laughing while Angela was annoyed at us._

_"Ok, ok…let's watch the movie already." I said as I put the movie A Walk to Remember on. _

_End of flashback._

In the end I won the bet with Ben, which is not really a surprise to me. No one could ever find the movie A Walk to Remember boring. If they did, they would have to deal with me first. Kidding! Ok, not really. The movie really teaches you a lot of things. But I don't want to be wasting my time telling you what it taught me but I recommend that you watch it. It is a movie that you can't forget just as Ben figured out. By the end of the movie, there wasn't a dry eye in sight. Well, that's really an exaggeration considering that it was only the three of us.

_Flashback:_

_"Ben, are you crying?" I asked him while dabbing my own eyes._

_"No?" He replied but it sounded more like a question._

_"Hey, you don't have to be embarrassed about it. I love sensitive guys." Angela said to him. He blushed at that comment. Both Angela and I laughed at that. Ben decided to change the subject because he didn't like being the center of attention something that I used to hate too._

_"Hey, do you guys want to watch Night in the Museum 2 next weekend or something. I heard it was a hit and it was given good reviews." Ben said while wiping away the final tear in his eye._

_"I would love to watch me it but I didn't watch the first one." Angela said._

_"Me neither." I replied._

_"Don't worry, I didn't watch it too. But since it got such a great response from the audience, I really tempted to watch it that was why I brought Night in the Museum. So we could watch the second one next week." Ben said._

_"That's a great idea. You're a genius." I said while putting on the movie._

_"That's one of the things I like about you." Angela said while giving him a kiss._

_"Eew! PDA alert! PDA alert!" I said while covering my eyes. Ben and Angela just laughed at my reaction._

_"Please Bella; it's not something you don't see every day." Ben said while kissing Angela on the cheek._

_"And besides PDA stands for Public Display of Affection. If you look around us, we are not in public." Angela said while kissing Ben again._

_"Guys please; I need my eyes to live so I can live as well." I said while covering them again._

_"But blind people can't see but they still can live." Ben replied smartly. _

_"Well, I need my eyes to prepare meals for Charlie. I don't want to serve him burnt chicken with chocolate sauce all over it." I replied to him. All of us shuddered at that. The movie interrupted our discussion and it was long forgotten after that._

_End of flashback_

As I lay on the couch, reliving the memories of yesterday's sleepover, Charlie came downstairs. This actually might be a surprise to you but I woke up early today. Can you believe that? Actually it's not really that hard to be considering that I had to get up early because Angela and Ben had to go someone today. So according to my calculations, I spent the last hour or so reliving those wonderful memories which I could never forget. I guess it had something to do with the fact that I had an absolute blast with my real friends. Not ones that liked me for something I wasn't.

"Morning, honey." Charlie greeted me as he walked down the stairs. Unlike me, Charlie had great balance. Oddly enough, my mom also had great balance. It was still a mystery to me where I got my coordination from or should I say un-coordination. Haha! Wow, now I'm laughing at my own joke. How pathetic.

"Morning dad. How was your night at Billy's?" I asked him, just remembering that he was out really late because of the barbeque that they had.

"It was great. We had a really good time. Those kids from La Push really can start a party." He said while making his breakfast. Remember how I mentioned that my dad didn't know how to cook. Well, he lied. I found out a few days ago when I woke up a little earlier than usual. I came downstairs and there was my dad eating eggs and bacon. I confronted him about it. He just said that he only knew how to cook eggs and bacon and that he thought it wasn't such a big deal. Charlie interrupted my thoughts by saying "Oh yeah, Jake kept asking me about you. He said something about being sorry for something. He wanted me to pass the message."

"Oh ok!" I replied. I didn't want to tell my dad to accept his apology. Even though I feel immensely guilty about the fact that I lashed out at him, I still wasn't ready to forgive for what he did. It suddenly got really quiet in the room. I turned to look at Charlie and found him staring at me.

"So what did he do? He looked really guilty and sorry for whatever it was." Charlie said trying to be casual but you could hear the underlying worry seeping through his voice. I didn't want Charlie to spend his time worrying about me. I masked my face carefully before I answered his question.

"Oh…nothing really. Just some prank, he and his buddies did. No big deal." I said trying to be casual about it. Charlie looked at me again, this time scrunching up his face.

"Are you sure that you're ok?" Charlie asked me.

"Dad, I'm fine. I was no big deal. I mean it was only fair when I played a prank on him as well. He wouldn't have left it there. I was bound to get something sooner or later." I said while keeping up the casual appearance. 3 years of practice really pays off.

"Wow! You played a prank of Jake. I'm impressed." He said while giving me a smile. He finally dropped the subject and continued making his breakfast. I just wanted to sit down and relax for the day but my tummy had other plans. It was rumbling so loudly that even Charlie could hear it all the way from the kitchen.

"Haha! Bells, you want me to make you breakfast as well." Charlie offered.

"That would be nice dad." I said while trying to shush my tummy up.

"It's no problem, Bells. It's the least I could do for how much you have cook for me lately." He said while frying the bacon.

"Dad! I haven't been here long. It only has been a few weeks." I said while getting up from the couch. "See you a few dad. I have to go get dressed." I headed up the stairs slowly. My dad's head popped out of the kitchen to look at me going up the stairs.

"Bells!" He called me. I turned around to face him.

"Yeah dad!" I said.

"Try to get back down before breakfast gets cold." He said while trying to stifle a laughter which was to no avail. I turned and looked away from him.

"Haha! Real funny, dad." I headed up the stairs a little faster than before. I didn't want to meet my friends. We currently weren't on good terms. The last time we met I fainted and didn't have time to chat with it. So now, it has been ignoring me. Not that I tried to talk to it recently. I just notice these things, ok! So just accept it already.

After about 20 minutes of getting ready, I headed downstairs to see Charlie just finish cooking breakfast.

"See I told you dad. I was able to get down before breakfast got cold." I said to my dad with a smirk on face.

"Fine! Fine, you win this round. But don't be so confident for the next. I will just have to cook faster than this." He said while placing the food on the dining table.

"The next time? I would be cooking the next time and we would see who would win then." I said while helping him set up the table.

"But I would be working. That doesn't count because I don't control what goes on during work." Charlie argued with me about his work and what time he would come home.

"Dad! I meant during the weekends when we are both at home. Deal?" I asked him. He stared at me for a while before shaking my hand on it. We both laughed about it while eating our breakfast.

**AN: This is just a brief show of what happened during the sleepover. I didn't wan to go into detail about it. I hope you guys liked that chapter and I hope I didn't disappoint you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Once again, you don't have to review if you don't want to…Thanks for reading… **

**~*~ asn ~*~**


	21. Chapter 20: Surprise Trip

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own twilight...this disclaimer is for the whole story. **

**Chapter 20: Surprise trip**

After breakfast, Charlie went to the living room to watch some baseball game. Since it was still early in the morning and I had nothing to do, I decided to watch the game with Charlie. Charlie was surprise to see me actually watching a sports game another than Formula 1 on TV. What can I say? I had nothing better to do. I have read all my books. I also have re-read it a few times. I really need to get a new supply of books.

As I stared at the TV with utter confusion on my face, I saw Charlie glancing at me from the corner of his eye and his mouth twitched a little. Like he was trying to stop himself from laughing, which ended up in failure because a few minutes after that, he cracked up as though he had just witness something humorous which probably would have been me.

"What? Stop laughing at me? It's not my fault I don't get what is going on." I said in my defense.

"I can't help myself. I'm surprised as how you can't understand the concept of baseball yet you master the principle of speed-racing. It just surprises me, that's all, hon." He said trying to cheer me up while regulating his breathing pattern.

"Fine, but in my defense, there's nothing really complicating about speed-racing. You just have to know the basics about the car like the throttle and the gear shift. And you have to know how fast the car can go at certain parts of the track. And it also helps to know the wind pressure and the temperature of the surroundings." I said. I didn't understand how that was hard to understand. I guess it's just me.

It took him a while to reply. He just stared at me like I had something on my face. Oh my Gosh, I hope I don't have something on my face. But before I could check it out, Charlie interrupted me by saying, "First of all, honey, that was amazing. I didn't know you knew stuff about that. And second of all, I had no idea what you just said but it sounded impressive." He told me. It was funny hearing that from Charlie. If it had been from a friend, I would have laughed at his confused expression.

Just as I was about to reply some smart comment, the phone rang.

"I got it." I told him. As I was leaving, I heard him laugh a bit but I brushed that off. I guess he figured out the eagerness of me getting the phone. I couldn't stand anymore of that running and pitching and catching. Why did they have to run in one big circle? Couldn't they run diagonally across, they would definitely get there faster? I guess I must be missing something. I entered and searched for the ringing object. I spotted it on an empty counter. I picked up and phone and greeted the person on the other side of the line.

"Hello?" I said with a smile on my face. For some unknown reason, I will always smile to myself when I answer the phone. I guess I was just trying to sound polite. But it's not like they could see me or anything. You know this smile thing may help me in the future…if I so happened to get a job answering phones. I shuddered at that. It's not that I hate people who have that kind of job. I just don't want to spend the rest of my life answering phones for someone else. That would be so boring.

"Hello, Bella. This is Harry Clearwater here. Is you dad around?" He asked me. Wow! It has been a while since I have heard from him.

"Hello, Harry. How are you? It's been a while." I asked him. I ignored the last question. I didn't want to give my dad the phone because I didn't want to go back to the living room and watch a bunch of men running around like fools. I have no opposition against running. As a matter of fact, I enjoy it since I was a girl jock for a few months. It just doesn't make any sense in the direction they are running to.

"I've been fine, thanks. Yes it has been a while indeed. I haven't seen you in La Push lately. School must be keeping you busy, huh?" He asked me. Now I knew why it had been a while. I avoided all contact with anyone from La Push. I felt really bad for doing that but that was the only guarantee that I wouldn't bump into any of _them_. Then again, they could come here which I really hope they don't.

"Yeah! Anyway my dad is here. Hold on." I said while putting him on hold. I didn't want to talk to him about this anymore. I just lied to him, not directly but still. That was wrong of me. Can't I do anything right now a days.

"Dad! Harry is on the phone." I called my dad from the kitchen.

My dad got out from the couch to answer the phone. After I handed him the phone, I just stood there in the kitchen like an idiot. I didn't want to go back to the living room because then I would have to watch the game that is going on. But I also didn't want to be standing here because then it would look like I was trying to listen on the conversation between him and Harry. Then out of no where an idea popped into my head. Ok, before I tell you want it is, I just want you to promise not to laugh at me. Someone with brains would have come up with it in a second but I took me about a minute or so. So promise me you wouldn't laugh. Please? Thank you so much. OK, the idea that came into my head was that I could go to the living room…and switch the channel. So, what do you think? I know, I know, you're probably thinking what an idiot she is, right? I guess because of all the things that have been happening in my life, I just didn't have time to give myself some brain food.

So I headed to the living room to watch something else besides this confusing sport. As I was flipping the channel for something to watch, I came across Jamie Oliver's cooking show. I love that guy. The way he makes the food seems so easy. I once tried making one of his dishes; it was fantastic but not as fantastic as the way he does it. Maybe I should learn up some new recipes to cook for Charlie. There are only so many basic ways you could cook fish. Besides, there's about a year worth of supply in the freezer. It's kind of surprising that there are still some more fishes in the sea. Ok, that was a stupid thought. Sorry about that.

I guess I was too caught up at watching the way Jamie Oliver cooks a fish that I didn't notice my dad sitting beside me. I turned to look at him only to find him looking at me in return. His eyes kind of said it all.

"I had nothing else to watch and I couldn't take anymore of that baseball game. I already have enough to last me a life time." I told him.

"I didn't say anything." He said confused at my sudden reply.

"It's in your eyes, dad. I can see the question going around in your mind." I said while keeping my eyes on the TV. This is one of Jamie Oliver's moments you don't want to miss.

"Ok…anyway Harry invited me to go fishing with him and Billy." He said before pausing a while. It looks as though he has something else to say.

"Ok, dad. Have fun." I replied, still keeping my eyes on the greatest chef in history.

"And he also asked me to pick up Billy." He said while pausing again. There's something he's afraid of telling me or asking me. I wonder what it is. I'm not an idiot not to know when something is up. I turned off the TV because of to reasons. 1, I wanted to look at Charlie and ask him to just tell whatever it is to my face. And 2, because the show just ended and the next show wasn't much to my interest.

"Dad, just spit it out. What are you trying to tell me?" I asked him. He looked really nervous about it. As far as I know there hasn't been anything that would make him nervous…except saying something that I might make me mad or sad or anything else. Oh no, it must be pretty bad if he is nervous.

"Well, Harry asked me whether I could pick Billy up…and I was wondering whether you wanted to tag along." He asked me. I was actually pretty confused right now. This wouldn't make Charlie nervous. It has to be something else that he is avoiding. I decided to let him tell me when he was ready. I can't force anyone to do anything.

"Why would I want to tag along?" I asked him.

"Well, considering that I'm heading over to Billy's to pick him up, maybe you would like…to um…have a little…chat with…Jacob." He said while pausing in between the sentences.

Oh, so that was why he was nervous. He wanted me to have a little chat with Jake. WAIT, did he say Jake? He wants ME to have a little chat with the JERK! I thought he knew what was going on. Oh wait, he doesn't. I sort of lied to him about that. I pretended that the prank they played on me was something minor. I guess he wants me to talk to Jake about what happened between us. I can't believe I going to say this but…

"OK, dad. I'll tag along. But what is Jacob is still sleeping. It is pretty early in the morning. And I know Jake…he wouldn't get up at this time." I said. Hey, don't blame me. I needed some back up plan incase I start yelling me head off at Jake again. Once is pretty much enough for him.

"Well, then maybe I should call Billy and ask him first. If Jake is awake then we'll go and if he is not then you can go some other time. Okay?" He asked me while getting up and heading towards the kitchen. But before he could reach the phone, I interrupted him.

"NO!" I yelled at him. Great job, Bella. I thought you were a better actor than this. Now he is bound to think something is up. Quick, think of something you can use to cover it up.

"Um…what I meant was that. You don't have to call Billy. If Jake so happen to be asleep then it's ok, I wouldn't mind hanging out at the beach until he does. Besides, I need to get out of the house. OR else the baseball thing would haunt me for the rest of my life." I added that thing at the end to joke it off so Charlie wouldn't suspect anything.

"Ok, if you're sure, Bells?" He said still hesitant.

"I'm sure dad. I really need to get out more. You don't want to come home and see your daughter all crazy because she couldn't handle a simple baseball game, now would you?" I asked him. I love it when I mentioned the word baseball and me in the same sentence because that would always make him crack a smile. It's such a nice sight to see. And I was right, he did crack a smile.

"Well, okay. Let me just go get my fishing gear and we'll be off." He said while heading towards the store room. Hey, the house is small. He has no where else to put his stuff.

"Ok, dad. Let me go change first." I said. As I headed up the stairs, I could have sworn that I heard Charlie say 'Great, this is going to take a while.' I just ignored that comment. I bet he is just saying to annoy because he knows how much I'm not like other girls. I don't take as much time as other people do to get ready.

After changing into something more comfortable and nice, I headed downstairs only to find Charlie still looking for his stuff in the store room. And they say girls take longer time than guys. Hah! So I sat at the couch while staring at my dad searching through a pile of things for his fishing gear.

After about 5 minutes, he finally came out. He was shocked to see me ready before he was.

"How long have you been sitting there?" He asked me.

"Long enough." I said while giving him a smirk.

He ignored that and both of us headed outside. The sky was pretty much the same as always except that you can see blue and black patches in it. There's a fifty-fifty chance that it's not going to rain today. I hope it doesn't because I would really love to go for that walk on the beach.

After loading all the stuff in my truck, Charlie headed towards the driver's seat. What? You didn't think he was going to take the cruiser, did you? Come on, it's a Sunday and he is going fishing. You don't need a cruiser for that. That's probably a secret reason why he bought the truck for me, so he could use it as well. What? I'm a good daughter. Of course, I would have let him use it. He's my dad and that's what families are for. We both entered the truck and Charlie ignited the engine and we were off to La Push, the last place I planning to go.

**AN: I you guys want a sneak peek of the next chapter…all you have to do is review the story and the sneak peek is yours. **

**AN: Just to give you guys a hint, this is the first part of the climax. I hope you guys liked that chapter and I hope I didn't disappoint you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Once again, you don't have to review if you don't want to… But then you wouldn't get the sneak peek I offered…thanks for reading… **

**~*~ asn ~*~**


	22. Chapter 21: Nature

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own twilight...this disclaimer is for the whole story. **

**Chapter 21: Nature**

The car ride was silent with the occasional sound from Mother Nature. Charlie didn't say anything. He was too busy paying attention to the road though I have no idea why considering the fact that he had probably memorized every inch of this road by now. The weather seemed pretty off like something bad was going to happen today. I don't normally believe in this kind of stuff but when you have a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach, you would.

It was about 15 to 20 minutes later before we passed the border of La Push. About 5 minutes before we reached Jake's house, Charlie finally spoke.

"Bella, before we reach Billy's house, I just want to make sure that you're okay with this?" He asked me. I thought he was joking. But when I turned to look at him, I saw by his expression that he was really worried about me.

"Dad, there's nothing to be worried about. It was just a harmless prank they played on me. We kids do this kind of stuff all the time. Come on; tell me you guys didn't play pranks on each other when you were younger?" I asked my dad. I might have lied a bit at the middle but I didn't want him to worry about me. And asking him about his childhood seemed like a good way to divert the conversation. He seemed to stare at me for a long time, well it seemed like a long time to me before he turned his attention back to the road. He let out a long sigh before his frown turn upside down. Wow, that rhymed. I should write a book when I grow up. Who am I kidding; I could never come up with anything remotely good enough. I guess I just have to go with the flow. OK, this is getting out of hand. Frown – upside down, and go – the flow. Creepy! My odd and slightly disturbing thoughts were interrupted by my dad's voice.

"Yeah you're right. When I was young, I used to play pranks on this girl. There was a reason for it but I never told anyone about it. I had a crush on that girl for about a year. And guess what happened to her?" My dad asked me. Wow! He played a prank on a girl as well. Is this some kind of trend that every generation must follow or something? Because if it is, I hope the next generation would break this cycle. I'm sure the guys wouldn't know how much suffering they caused for the girl. We girls are very good at hiding our emotions from the world.

"What happened to her, dad?" I asked him. I was curious as to what happened to her. Did she become his was enemy? Did she kill herself because of depression? I hear people do that now when their minds conclude that the world is out to get them. Charlie's answer however surprised a lot. And that's saying something considering how much I hate surprises.

"She became your mother." He said while smiling to himself. Oh My Gosh! The girl that my dad played pranks on in high school is my…mom! Wow! Talk about major shock.

"Really?" I asked him while I was still in shock of the news.

"Yeah, surprising isn't it?" He asked me.

"Very!" I said while smiling at him. I presume Charlie saw my smile and smiled right back at me. Before our conversation could go any further, we had arrived at our destination. Charlie parked right in front of the house because he knew it would be easier to for Billy to get in the truck. After Charlie stopped the car, both of us didn't move an inch. After I while of convincing myself that I could do this, I smiled at Charlie and stepped out of the truck. Charlie soon followed my actions a few seconds later. Both of us headed towards the house.

Charlie reached there a few seconds before me and rang the doorbell. Instead of staring at the door waiting for either Billy or Jake to answer it, my eyes were fixed at the sea. The beauty of nature always makes me marvel at it. The colour of the ocean resembles the mixture of cobalt blue and dark green I'm just awestruck by it. As I was admiring the beauty of the sea, an eagle flew out of no where and into the dark, mysterious sky. I'm sure you guys thought that I was going to say the clear blue sky. Did you forget about the sinking feeling in my stomach I said about earlier in the car? I was about to head off towards the sea to get a better view of the eagle that was soaring high above the sky but someone opened the front door. My heart started to pick up its pace but only to slow down a while later when I realized it was Billy instead Jake who answered the door.

"Hello Charlie. I've been wondering when you were going to show up. Oh, and you brought Bella with you. I'm sure Jake is going to be pleased. He's been asking about for you for a while now. I hope that boy didn't do something to you?" Billy asked me. I wonder why he asked that. I hope Jake didn't say anything to him about what happened that day when I lashed out at him. Oh My Gosh! He probably over heard everything I said to him that's why he's asking if Jake did anything to me. He knows about it. Ok, Bella don't over think this. Maybe he is just asking because you know how boys get, right? They're…well they're boys. They get into trouble once in a while. I guessed Charlie sensed my space out on Billy's question because he nudged me while Billy wasn't looking. I snapped out of my thoughts and answered Billy's question.

"I'm sorry about that. I was just…remembering something I had to do…for a school assignment. What was the question again?" I asked him with an innocent smile on my face. I didn't know that pretending to be somebody you're not had its perks. I could fool anyone with the expressions I can come up with. By the look on his face, I could say that Billy definitely bought the whole innocent smile thing.

"Actually it was nothing. So how have you been?" Billy asked. I guess he bought it a little too much because he switched the subject immediately.

"Great! School has been wonderful. It has been a pleasure living here with my dad." I said to him. I could have sworn that from the corner of my eye, I saw Charlie blush a little from my comment.

"Wow! That's great! It also has been a pleasure having you around Bella. I'm sure Jake and his pals are thrilled that you came back after all these years." He said. I couldn't help but smile at the fact that Billy liked having me around again even after all these years.

"I couldn't have been that long. I'm pretty sure it was only three years." I replied jokingly.

"Three years? It seemed like an eternity here. It hasn't been the same since you left. But that was in the past, we have to move on and live in the present, right?" He said.

"Um…exactly." I replied. I wasn't sure if he purposely said that to make me feel guilty or if it was just one of his sayings. I would love to pretend it was the latter one but I got a feeling it isn't. I guess he actually does know what happened. I guess I should just have the courage and forgive him and his friends for what happened. That means I would also have to forgive the Cullens and the Hales for what they did as well. I guess one little prank really got out of hand. Its time we moved on with our lives.

"Um…is Jake home?" I asked him. A minor part of me hoped that he was not but then I had to face him some time later might as well get it over with. It is the right thing for me to do. How does that saying go? Forgive and forget! Yeah, that's it.

"Oh yeah, he's home but unfortunately he's sleeping. I could wake him up for you." Billy offered.

"No, it's ok. I'll just hang around the beach till the wakes up if that's ok." I replied.

"Bella are you sure, you don't want Billy to wake up Jake. We'll be leaving soon before the storms kicks in. Are you sure you want to stay out here? What if it rains?" Charlie asked me. Wow, I didn't Charlie was this paranoid?

"Dad, I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." I replied.

"I would leave the door unlocked incase it rains and Jake's still asleep. You're welcome to come in now if you'd like?" Billy offered again.

"Thanks Billy. But I would like to enjoy nature while I still can. You know before it rains. If you wouldn't mind leaving the door unlocked, that would be great." I said.

"No problem, Bella. Our door is always open for you." He said while laughing at the joke he made. I thought it was pretty funny. Charlie on the other hand didn't understand what we were laughing at. That man sometimes just have to understand that when quotes from movies or song is used in daily conversation, it's something humorous.

"You guys should get going before the storm comes. You don't want to get wet while catching more fish for me to cook now would you dad?" I asked him while giving him a smirk. I'm sure he noticed it because he just brushed it off as if it were nothing. I'm serious. There's about a few years of supply of fish in the freezer. How could anyone eat fish keep eating fish everyday of the week. I made a mental note to buy chicken, beef, pork and other meat stuff besides fish at the next visit to the supermarket.

"Yeah we should. We wouldn't want to keep Harry waiting for us. Take care, Bells. Make sure you get inside the house when the raindrops keep falling on your head." Charlie said. Billy and I started laughing after we heard that. It kind of surprises me how someone does not get what he just said. Raindrops keep falling on my head. That was funny.

After Billy and I calmed down, Charlie and Billy headed towards the truck. Charlie helped Billy into the truck and placed the wheelchair at the back of the van. I feel sorry for Billy that he has to live with that. I guess these are just conundrums we have to go through. After Charlie helped Billy into the truck, he ignited the engine and they were of to go fishing. I waved to them as they disappeared from my eye sight. I turned around and headed to the beach. I wanted to get a closer view towards the wonder of nature. As I was walking towards the beach, from the corner of my eye, I could have sworn that I saw a curtain twitch from inside. Must be my imagination. Unless, Jake is awake. With that, I turned around to face the house and waited for Jake for to come out of the house.

After about 5 minutes, I gave up and headed towards the ocean. I guess it must have been my imagination or the wind that made the curtain move. I sat on a rock by the tree me and the rest of the La Push gang carved their name on and watched as the waves moved in a regular pattern across the ocean. As the minutes ticked by, the clouds drew nearer and nearer the coast. The eagle that was soaring high earlier had vanished a few minutes. I heard animals were able to tell when something bad was going to happen that involved Mother Nature. I was pretty sure it was nothing. Nature is actually such a wonderful thing. I don't know why not many people enjoy it. It is something that we humans can't make happen. Its a natural phenomena.

Sadly, admiring nature doesn't block out your thoughts, it just encourages it to come alive. While watching the colour of the sky change, I was thinking about how I was going to apologize to Jake and his friends, the Cullens and the Hales. I can't believe I made such a huge thing out of one small prank. But that prank did hit below the belt. I guess no one ever knew that except for Angela and Ben. I'm sure if Jake and his friends, the Cullens and the Hales would have known, they would have never played that prank on me. I shouldn't have yelled at them like that. It was really wrong of me too. I guess I should just be man and apologize to them. And maybe if I explain my problems to them, they would understand why I yelled at them like that. But I'm not sure if I'm ready to let them know. My worries are still there. They might hate me or make fun of me after I tell them. I'm not exactly worried about the Cullens and the Hales hating me or making fun of me because I hardly know them. Ok, I'm even lying to myself now. I should be worried because then I would have to live my high school life getting made fun of just because of my personality problem. It is not exactly fair. It's not my fault that I wanted a change. And it's not my fault that my step-dad had to move too many times. I couldn't help it. Actually the only to blame for all of this is me. I should have just been honest with them and except the consequences of my actions. It's not that hard if I put my mind towards it. Ok, I made my mind up that on today I would tell Jake and his friends the truth and on tomorrow I would tell the Cullens and the Hales the truth. I will not lie to them anymore. I'm going to right what I have done wrong. How exactly did things get so complicated after 3 years? I can't even tell my friends the truth about me. I really need to see a doctor. Then again, I change my mind. I might bump into one of the Cullens or the Hales if I go see Dr. Cullen. What are the odds that the man who heals my injuries is the father of the children that I have lied to for the past few weeks? Oh, I forgot nothing's a coincidence.

After a while, I checked my watch to see what time it was. I realized that I had been admiring the ocean for about an hour and a half. Wow! That was long. Boy, Jake must be a heavy sleeper. I wonder what he did last night. He must have stayed up really late doing whatever it is that guys do late at night and not gotten enough sleep by now. I decided to go inside the house since it was getting darker by the minute. I got up from the rock where I had been sitting for the past hour and a half. I had to stretch myself a bit because sitting down so long has that effect. Once my stretching exercise was done, I headed towards the house.

I was walking along the beach, looking down at the sand and small stones that I kicked out of my way. I never noticed before but there were many kinds of shells from the ocean washed up ashore. As I continued walking while admiring the beauty and wonder of each shell that I came across, I didn't notice someone coming from the opposite direction. While I was looking at one of the most unique shell I came across, I was pushed onto the sand by a tall figure. The last thing I saw before everything around me turned dark was a pair of emerald eyes. I definitely knew who those eyes belong to. There was only one person who has emerald eyes. Edward Cullen!

**AN: I you guys want a sneak peek of the next chapter…all you have to do is review the story and the sneak peek is yours. **

**AN: Just to give you guys a hint, this is the first part of the climax. I hope you guys liked that chapter and I hope I didn't disappoint you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Once again, you don't have to review if you don't want to… But then you wouldn't get the sneak peek I offered…thanks for reading… **

**~*~ asn ~*~**


	23. Chapter 22: Epiphany

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own twilight...this disclaimer is for the whole story. **

**Chapter 22: Epiphany**

Everything was covered in darkness. I couldn't see anything at all. Black was the colour that surrounded my eyes. My heart was beating at an immense rate. I felt as though I was having a panic attack. I didn't know what happened before I woke up. All I remembered was that I was walking along the coastline of La Push beach waiting for that sleepy head to wake up. As I was walking, I remember…remember someone crashing into me. Then I…fell down onto the sand and saw…I saw. I can't remember. I know it was important. I remember seeing something before everything turned to darkness. Something green! I think it was green…or maybe it was a combination of the colour blue and green. I'm not sure. Well, this is just great. My wonderful day just turned into a horrific nightmare. If only I had more information about what was happening in my surroundings.

That was when I realized. Though I lost my sight, I still had my sense of touch, sound, smell, and taste left. The sense of taste was a dumb suggestion. It's not like I could taste anything….except this…what is this? It tastes silky…and smooth. The taste was oddly familiar. I rolled my tongue here and there trying to get more information from the unknown substance. While trying to accomplish my mission, I had a brief flashback from my childhood days with Jake and the gang.

_Flashback:_

_"You're never going to get me alive." I said while running away from Jake and his pals. I was about 10 at the time. We were playing cops and robbers. It was my favorite game as a kid. I loved being the robber because I knew many hidings places that Jake and his friends didn't. They have yet to find one of them. I was always given a 20 second start because the guys thought it was unfair for the me to be chased by guys at that very moment. So they let me have a head start. _

_I was running and running further and further into the forest. That was my sanctuary. Since I was small for a girl at that age, I could fit into most holes below the tree. The guys were just right for their age, which for me was slightly unfair. Since they were the right size, they couldn't fit into any hollow places. Therefore they were forced to run. I'm guessing they also thought that I was too big to fit into any of those holes, that was why they didn't bother looking into any of them. But that day, I had a strange feeling that something different might happen in our little game. _

_As I was running, I spotted Nancy. What? I'm sure you're wondering who Nancy is right. Well, don't laugh at me okay? Since I was left to hide for about 30 minutes, sometimes even an hour, I got bored. So I named the places I hid in. This was my favorite. As you know, her name is Nancy. Don't ask why, I was just a kid. What did you expect of me? I crawled into the hole and hid there for about 20 minutes before sounds of shoes thumping against the soil were heard. I crept closer into the hole. From my current position, I could see them but they couldn't see me. Well, I hope they couldn't. As I watch their footsteps scatter around, Jake's footstep stopped right in front of the hole. I was actually terrified at that moment. More worry than terrified though. I was terrified because I was scared that they might not exactly be Jake's shoes. And I was worried because if it were Jake and he found me which would mean that they managed to actually find one of my hidings spots. _

_After a while, Jake's footsteps moved of into another direction. I let out a soft sigh. I didn't know I was holding my breath. I thought it was a soft sigh. I didn't realize that it was a very loud sigh. Everyone's footsteps stopped and moved towards Nancy. I remember seeing Jake's footsteps right in front of the hole. _

_Then out of no where, two hands appeared and grabbed me from my waist and pulled me out of the hole. I was kicking and screaming as they held onto me. Suddenly, something was blocking my voice from coming out of my mouth. When I opened my eyes, I saw a black cloth stuffed into my mouth. I remember accidentally tasting the material and it felt smooth, and silky…_

_Flashback end!_

That's it! I know what it is. It's some kind of cloth. No wonder the taste was utterly familiar. I had accidentally tasted something like that before. It was then that I realized that someone had gagged me. Oh my Gosh, this is scaring the life out of me. I can feel my heart pounding rapidly against my chest. What does this person want with me? I don't want to die…

I have been praying to myself and hoping that I would not die. I have absolutely no idea where this person is taking me but I can feel the movement this person is making. It's as though this person is walking somewhere while carrying me on his back. I'm sure you're wondering how I know this person is a guy. Well from the obvious of course. No girl can carry someone like me on their back without dropping dead. Not that I'm saying that I'm fat or something. It's just that I'm not the lightest person around. Alice probably could be carried like this by a girl but not me. This person must be really strong. I could tell that this person is really muscular. I could feel his muscles just popping out of his skin. Odd saying, I know.

I almost forgot about the theory that I made just before the flashback of the time I spent when I was a kid. I lost my sense of sight because of this cloth that had been put over it. I've used my sense of taste to identify the object stuffed in my mouth. I have 3 more left. Now for the sense of smell. Not that I have any idea how that is going to help but there is no harm in trying. I sniffed my nose trying to get the smell of the surrounding into it. I could smell salt in the air. It smells as though we were still at the beach. Geez, how long ago was it that someone crashed into me. I'm pretty sure it was about 10 minutes ago. This person couldn't be walking that far. And why in the world would I still be at the beach. I would have thought that this person would have kidnapped me or taken me somewhere to be… I gulped before continuing my train of thought…rape. I shoved that thought aside. I didn't want to think things like that for 2 reasons. One, I might be thinking a little over my head. It might not happen. I just have to have some faith in the Lord and know that whatever happens, happens for a reason. And second, I get a sick feeling thinking about these kinds of things.

Just as my train of thought ended, the movement the person carrying me stopped. I used all my senses, that were useful of course to help me figure out what was going on. I couldn't smell the salt in the air and I couldn't hear the waves of the ocean anymore. I almost gave up hope in everything when I heard something coming from my right…or was it left. I can't exactly tell. It sounded like a car coming in my direction. This could be a sign. My only chance of being rescued. I tried to wiggle about, trying to catch the attention of the driver of the car that was coming this way. The person carrying me noticed my movements and tried to stop me but I just kept on wiggling.

"Would you be still, you're tickling me." The guy said. The voice was deep and rough. But it sounded oddly familiar to me. I just couldn't quite place it. The guy kept on trying to stop me from 'tickling' him but I ignored all efforts produced.

I guess luck was on my side because the car I heard from my…whatever direction it was, came to a halt. I tried speaking through the cloth but everything that managed to come out was muffled. Out of nowhere the person carrying started speaking to who I presume was the driver of the vehicle. I guess he was trying to get out of being suspicious. That would be hard considering that he is carrying a person on his back with her eyes blindfolded and her mouth gagged.

"Finally! What took you so long? She has been wiggling her ass of. And just so happens that where she was wiggling tickles me…Hey, don't laugh at me. It's not funny." The guy that was carrying me said. This time his voice wasn't deep and rough. It was seriously loud and booming. It just sounded even more familiar.

"Oh my Gosh, she has been tickling you with her wiggling. That must have been pretty funny to watch." A perky, high pitched voice said. These two voices sounded oddly familiar. I just couldn't place my finger onto it.

"Actually, it was. I've been watching how you reacted to it since she started. And let me tell you, it was quite a show." A velvety voice said. This voice sounded even more familiar. And that was where it hit me like a ton of bricks. I recognized all three voices before because I've spoken to all three of them. I couldn't believe my ears. How could these people be kidnapping me? What do they want with me? I've never done anything to hurt them in anyway. Unless, I actually did hurt them with the whole avoiding them because I assumed they were involved with the prank with Jake and his pals. Maybe I was wrong when I assumed that they were involved but with the non stop questions and the weird glances they were giving me, I guess I must have misinterpreted it wrongly. It's not my fault I assumed it. If you were in my position, you would surely understand what I'm currently going through. Oh my Gosh, I must going crazy. I'm even talking to myself now. My crazy moment with myself was interrupted by a voice I know all to well.

"Why did she suddenly stop like that?" I heard Alice say. I didn't realize that while I was having my moment, that I stop wiggling about Emmett's back. It had to be Emmett because of the loud booming voice and the muscular body. It couldn't be Edward's because he's not that muscular. Not that I'm saying he doesn't have any muscles, he definitely does. I'm just saying that the only guy I know with bulging muscles is Emmett.

"I'm not too sure but by the look on her face, it looks like she just realized who was 'kidnapping' her. Edward said. Oh my Gosh, they are actually kidnapping me. What did I do to deserve this? Ok that was a stupid question. But there was an underlying tone in his voice when he said the word 'kidnapping'. It was as though he was just joking.

"Haha! Did you see her face when you said kidnapping. Does she actually think we are going to kidnapped her?" I heard Emmett saying while laughing to himself.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted." I heard Edward mutter quietly.

"You idiot! You just had to say that didn't you. We could have had some fun pretending that we were actually going to kidnap her and torture her. But no, you just had to blow our cover. Thanks, Emmett." I heard Alice say angrily. A few seconds later, I heard a car door slam. I guess Emmett really ruin her plan by saying that.

"What did I do?" Emmett said. I could just imagine his face. Looking all so sad and confused by his sister's outburst.

"Don't mind her. You know she was only kidding. Just get in the car." Edward said while opening the car door. I could feel Emmett shifting positions to move my body in the car.

"Don't hurt her." I heard Edward say.

"Oooh! Eddie has a crush on dear little Bella here." Emmett said while buckling me with the seatbelt of the car.

"Shut up, Emmett. And my name is Edward not Eddie, little Ed, Eddo, or whatever name you have stored up in your confused mind." I heard Edward say as he opened and closed the front car door. The one next to Alice.

"OH, would you two just get in the car already. I want to get this whole ordeal over with so that we don't have to continue spying on her like were spies." Alice said while igniting the engine of her…It sounds like a Porsche. I didn't know she owned a Porsche.

With that she sped of towards…well I don't exactly know where they were taking me but all I know is, thanks to Emmett, I figured that they weren't kidnapping me. If they are not kidnapping me, what do they want with me? And why are they suddenly talking to me. OK, not directly to me but still you get he picture. Something must be up. I knew they were acting funny in school. I just found out that they were spying on me. Why would they want to spy on me for? Unless my theory about them was right. They are definitely involved with the whole Jake and his pals prank on me. Even though, I didn't do anything to them. Jake, I get it. He wanted to get revenge for what I did to him with Leah. I'm sure his friends couldn't pass up an opportunity to prank their 'little sister'. That's what they used to call me since I was not related to them in any way. Leah was related to Seth and he was friends to them. Emily was Sam's girlfriend. So were Claire, Kim, and Rachel to Quil, Jared and Paul. I don't think I missed anybody. Did I? No, don't think so. I was just their friend. So they called me their 'little sister'.

But the Cullens and the Hales. I'm sure I didn't do anything to them. Unless they were just helping Jake and his friends because Jake and his pals study in La Push and they needed someone who studied in the same school as me to help them gather information for their prank. It makes perfect sense. How could I be so stupid not to realize this before? But there's still one mystery left to solve. Why are they 'kidnapping' me without involving Jake and his pals? While I was having my epiphany, I didn't hear Emmett, Edward and Alice having an argument. I cleared my mind to listen in on what they were saying. And I was completely shocked at what they were arguing about.

**AN: I you guys want a sneak peek of the next chapter…all you have to do is review the story and the sneak peek is yours. **

**AN: Just to give you guys a hint, this is the first part of the climax. I hope you guys liked that chapter and I hope I didn't disappoint you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Once again, you don't have to review if you don't want to… But then you wouldn't get the sneak peek I offered…thanks for reading… **

**~*~ asn ~*~**


	24. Chapter 23: Car Ride

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own twilight...this disclaimer is for the whole story. **

**Chapter 23: Car Ride**

"Eddie and Bella! Eddie and Bella! Eddie and Bella!" Emmett kept repeating that phrase over and over again.

"Just shut up Em." I heard Edward saying in a frustrated tone. Eddie…I mean Edward and Bella has a nice ring to it. But like that was ever going to happen. I wasn't planning on getting into a relationship at such an early stage. So what if it's high school, it's a little too early to get involved with someone. Besides, I don't like him like that. And I'm sure he doesn't either. We had just only met each other a few weeks ago. Plus we weren't on very good terms. I bet Emmett is just saying that to annoy the both of us considering the fact that he knows I can hear every word they are saying. It's just the fact that it has a nice ring to it freaks me out a little.

"Oooh, Eddie's blushing. Can you see how red his cheeks are? They look like tomatoes now. I could pinch those cute little cheeks." Emmett said. No offense but he sounded like a grandmother saying that to her grandson or granddaughter after having not seen them in a while. That is actually a hilarious sight to imagine. I would be laughing my head off but unfortunately that's impossible at the moment. Since, I have something gagged to my mouth.

"No, I'm not." Edward said trying aimlessly to defend himself. I haven't known Emmett for long but I know it would take a lot of effort to stop Emmett from embarrassing someone else. Plus, that defense line was the most pathetic one I've have ever heard. And I had my fair shares of defense lines. Because I was friends with Jake and his pals. That alone says it all.

"Actually you are." I heard Alice say. I actually forgot she was here since I was so caught up in the moment of listening on the argument between Edward and Emmett.

"Oh great! You're defending him now. You always side me. You never liked him in the first place." Edward said trying to get Alice to switch sides and defend him.

"Hey, I'm hurt! I thought you told me you didn't like him at all but you just made it look like you did." Emmett said. I could feel his hand moving. It was as though he put it right over his heart.

"What? Is that what you have been doing?" Edward asked in the most accusing way possible.

"I never like the both of you. So I defend who I like. But I always defend the side which reveals the truth. And besides what did you think? We live in a happy family or something. Please, those things are just like vampires and werewolves. Practically myths. Happy families don't exist. Parents are supposed to make your life miserable. Brothers are suppose to annoy the crap out of you and sisters are suppose to plot evil revenges against brothers in the most humiliating and embarrassing way possible. Not to mention, getting them into heap of trouble. That's the way life goes. That's how families are supposed to act. Now leave me alone. I'm trying to drive." Alice said. The way she said was as though she was confident that every word that came flying out of her mouth was utter truth. After a few seconds something odd happened. Everyone one of them started to laugh hysterically. I could feel the car seat moving up and down because Emmett so happened to sit right next to me.

"'Happy families are a myth.' That was a nice one. Where did you get from?" I heard Emmett ask.

"It just popped up in my head and well you know the rest is history." Alice said while laughing at what just happened. I wish I could explain more about it to you but even I have no idea what just happened. Plus I can't see anything so that doesn't help one bit.

"Brothers are supposed to annoy the crap out of sisters and sisters are supposed to plot evil revenges against brothers in the most humiliating way possible. That was really good. But like that ever happens in life." Edward said while laughing to himself.

"Haha! Yeah, you just keep thinking that." Alice said the last part in a whisper. I thought I heard an evil laugh slip from her lips. I must be dreaming. Maybe this whole thing is just a dream. What if I try to pinch myself, then maybe I would wake up from this horrible nightmare. _Ouch!_ Ok, that was a stupid idea. I guess this is real then. Well, then…wait I hear them talking again.

"What was that?" I heard Edward ask. To whom I'm not sure.

"What?" Alice answered a little too innocently. Well, I guess he was talking to her.

"That?" He asked again.

"What are talking about?" She asked him in return.

"What you just did?" He replied.

"I didn't do anything." She said defending herself. Now, that is what I call a proper defense line. Better then the one Edward came up with. I guess he's still a beginner at this. Well, a little practice might fix that right up.

"That whole whispering to yourself after I repeated what you said about the brother and sister thing. That was nothing." Edward said in an accusing voice.

"You mean the whole talking to myself that you thought that I was talking myself. Which I might have been talking myself but then again why would I be talking myself when I actually could be talking to you." Alice said really fast. I have no idea how she could manage saying that in one breath. There was silence for a minute before Edward replied Alice's comment.

"What?" He said.

"Huh?" She replied.

"What?"

"Huh?"

"Ah, never mind." Edward said defeated. It looks as though Edward just gave up. Now I get it. She used defense line number 21. The one where you confuse the other person by saying something real fast then looking confused later. Nice tactic. I would congratulate her if I could but I can't. Then a sudden thought popped into my mind. That defense line was made up by Embry, one of Jake's friends. He was a real funny guy. I remember him showing us how it worked. He tried it out on an old guy walking by and I got to say I felt real sorry for the guy. His mind probably was never the same again. But how could she know that line. Unless she did meet Jake and his pals along with her brothers and the Hales. This is definitely more prove to back up the epiphany I just had.

"I'm confused." Emmett said. I tried to stifle a laugh at poor Emmett. He was just being silent trying to understand what in the world was going on between Edward and Alice.

"You're not the only one brother." Edward admitted.

After that confusing moment that just happened, the car was covered in a silence. I guess everyone was wrapped up in their own thoughts. An unanswered question kept burning its way through my mind trying to get an answer to it. I just wish I knew where they were taking me. Then I wouldn't be raking my brain trying to figure it out. I know one thing for sure is that they are not kidnapping me. Two reasons actually support my theory. One, they said so themselves and two, they really stink at it. I mean if you are going to kidnap someone, you wouldn't be acting like your having an afternoon chat with your siblings right in front of the victim. That's definitely a sign that they are not fit to actually kidnap someone. Sadly the silence that was surrounding the car came to an end.

"So…do you like her or not?" Alice asked Edward I presume.

"Are you kidding me? Are we actually back to this topic? I thought that was done with ages ago." Edward said. Those who haven't had any experience with these kinds of situation wouldn't understand what was going on. It was real obvious that he is stalling to avoid answering the question. I don't understand why he can't answer the question. It's such a simple one in fact. All he has to do is deny the fact that he likes me. Sheesh! Is that so hard? Ouch! That's sort of hurts. Oh well!

"Stop stalling and just answer the question." Alice said. After that statement, the car was once again in a dead silence. You couldn't even hear the sound of anyone breathing. It was like we were in the cemetery. Not one sound could be heard except for the beating of my heart which was thumping rapidly against my thorax. Just like the last time, the silence was broken by the same person who started it. But this time the conversation didn't come to a dead end like it did.

"I rest my case." Alice said.

"But I didn't say anything." Edward replied trying to defend himself.

"Exactly! If you didn't like her you would have admitted it immediately but you didn't. That either means you couldn't speak or you actually do like her. And we all know the first one is an impossibility. No point hiding it now." Alice said. I could sense that her anger had risen a bit, though I had no idea why. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I could hear them. I could feel the car starting to increase its speed after she ended her statement.

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you dear missy, but did you think that perhaps the reason I didn't deny it immediately was because of the fact that the girl whom we are currently speaking about happens to be in hearing distance of our conversation. If I were to deny that fact right in front of her, I would be hurting her feelings wouldn't I? And is that the way Esme brought us up, dear sister? To hurt another people's feelings intentionally." He replied. I must say I'm actually impressed by his response. I didn't think there was a smarter response to Alice's comment. I guess I was wrong. And I guess I was also wrong about Edward being a beginner at the defense game. In reality he is actually a master at it. But I don't think he could ever beat the champion of the defense game, and proudly known as my best friend, Jacob Black.

I heard someone release a sigh.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I know where you're going with this and I don't want to intentionally hurt her feelings. But if you could just see for one moment that…" I heard another sigh from the same person after that.

"Never mind. We're here anyway." Alice said. I felt the car slow down a little and finally came to a halt. Three car doors opened at once, which I found to be quite creepy. Before I knew it, I was being carried out of the car by who I presumed would be Emmett.

"Rise and shine, little missy. Time for your interrogation." Emmett said as he carried me and held me on his shoulder. Interrogation? What interrogation? You mean this whole time I was worried that they would do something really horrible to me as a revenge for what I did to them. When in reality, they kidnapped me and brought to where ever we are just to interrogate me. I could feel my anger rising tremendously. I spent all that time worrying for nothing. Well, if that's the way they play it, then so be it. They can interrogate me all they want; I would not answer any single question they ask. That would be their punishment for now.

"EMMETT!" I heard Alice and Edward yell at the same time. I thought only twins did that sort of thing. I guess if you're related to someone, this kind of situation does happen once in a while.

"What? Every time I do something, you guys yell at me. I don't like you anymore." Emmett whined at the both of them. He was trying to act like a 5 year old kid. Well, I don't think he actually needs to act that part. He already is a 5 year old kid at heart, which is kind of sweet but gets annoying sometimes.

"Haha! Not all the time. Well…come to think of it…actually all the time. Haha! But, did you have to ruin the fun for us? I knew she was worriedly thinking about all the possible things that we could have done to her." Alice said while laughing it off.

"How do you know that? You couldn't even see her? You were driving." Emmett asked.

"Thank you for stating the obvious Mr. Emmett! But I knew that because of the fact that she didn't make a single sound throughout the journey here. If she wasn't thinking, she would have tried to escape by squirming her way out. But she didn't. She just kept quiet. That means she was thinking." Alice said smugly. From what I know, Alice is the type of girl to be confident in what she says or does in life. She has never once stuttered in any of her words. I just wished that I had the confidence in being myself then I wouldn't be getting into this mess in the first place.

"Well it's better to get truth out in the open instead of lying to her." I heard Edward say.

"Yes, if only one of us would take the same advice that was just mentioned." Alice said.

"What?" Emmett said. I could feel his shoulders move as he replied Alice's comment.

"Not you, you big goon. I was talking about Edward." Alice replied while laughing at Emmett's idiocy.

"Me? What did I do?" He said.

"Ugh! Never mind. Sometimes I wonder how I'm related to you guys." Alice said. I could guess that she was shaking her head due to the current situation.

"You'll see, Edward. Only time will tell, but you'll see that I was right all along. And you'll be sorry for not listening to me while you still had the chance. I have a feeling about this. And my feelings are never wrong…well except for that one time…but never mind. You'll see. You will see." Alice said. A few seconds later, I heard a door open and close.

"Well that was a little strange." Emmett said while adjusting me on his back so that I wouldn't fall of while he was walking towards….wherever he was walking towards.

"Strange is an understatement, dear brother." Edward said in his smooth, velvety voice. Ok that was unexpected. When was someone's voice smooth and velvet? I guess the whole 'kidnapping' thing has traumatized my brain. And now it's thinking weird things.

I heard the sound of a door opening with a huge amount of force. Then there was the voice of someone else. Someone who wasn't riding with us in the car. A voice that belonged to a person whom anyone could spot for miles away.

"Finally! Didn't think you guys were man enough to get her here? I thought that I was going to have to come down and get her myself."

**AN: If you guys want a sneak peek of the next chapter…all you have to do is review the story and the sneak peek is yours. **

**AN: I'm sure some of you guys were hoping for a little bit of romance. I hope the car ride was enough for a while. I'm not really good at writing romance. So don't expect much. I still hope what I did was good though. I hope you guys liked that chapter and I hope I didn't disappoint you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Once again, you don't have to review if you don't want to… But then you wouldn't get the sneak peek I offered…thanks for reading… **

**~*~ asn ~*~**


	25. Chapter 24: Moment Before Truth

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own twilight...this disclaimer is for the whole story. **

**AN: I would like to take this moment to apologize to those who have read this story from the beginning. I'm am truly sorry that I took so long to update. And I hope you will forgive me.**

**Chapter 24: Moment Before Truth**

That voice. I definitely recognized that voice. Without even looking at her, I could already tell who it was. But no one could ever forget how Rosalie Hale looked like. She was an imitation of her brother. That blonde hair. Those deep blue eyes. It was a sight no guy in history could forget. Now the only question that was toying in my mind, is why was she here?

Before I even had time to register my thoughts, I felt myself being carried of to the direction of her voice. I still had the slightest clue of were I was being carried away. It had to be somewhere secluded. Maybe not that secluded but somewhere where there were hardly any people around. That ruled out the shopping mall and the park. I had a feeling that I was being taken to someone's house but that's just a feeling. Deep in my heart, I prayed that the house was big. I could use all the space I could get, if I were to plan an escape. But with my luck, I would probably fall flat on my face before I managed to get anywhere.

I felt the surrounding temperature decrease slightly. Where ever I was, I was definitely not subjected to the forces outside. I felt myself being placed on a soft, comfortable object. I presumed it to be a couch because if I were in a house, I wasn't taken very far inside.

"Alice, you know what to do?" I heard Edward say. My heart beat started to race. I took for granted everything that happened on the beach and in the car. Now the real danger is lurking around me and I wasn't prepared for it. Well, that was a silly thought. No one is ever prepared at these times. Danger always strikes them at the moment when they least expect it to.

I heard the running of small feet up the wooden stairs. I presumed that whatever Alice had planned for me, it was kept upstairs. I silently rejoiced because at least that action bought me some time to think about what I was going to do when the time came.

"What do we do in the meantime?" I heard voice that I hadn't heard in a while. Since the event at the supermarket to be precise. I didn't think Jasper was able to go along with this. He seemed like the type of person to calm everyone down and talk through a situation before taking drastic measures. But I shouldn't judge people. Because people do not appear as they seem. I can definitely be an example to this saying. I've been playing many parts and no one besides Angela and Ben know the truth.

"Well, since it would be a while before Alice can get through to them, why don't we it ourselves." Edward said. I could feel my heart pumping even louder. The blood rush to my head was making it even harder for me to calm myself down and think straight. What were they talking about? Any why did Edward say something about Alice getting through to 'them'? Who is this 'them' they were talking about? All I knew was that this 'them' is going to get involved in this situation and I don't think I'm going to like it.

"OK! I really want to get this over and done with. So, Emmett you take the right side of her and Jasper you take the left." Rosalie said. Take the right side? I still had no clue what they were talking about. I felt pressure on both sides of the couch. And suddenly two arms were holding each of my arms tightly. Holding me in position so I wouldn't have any room to escape. Really clever, if only I weren't the victim they were in this position.

"I see no point in doing that. It's not like she could escape without us knowing. And besides she's blind folded. How is she suppose to know where she is going if she can't see?" Edward said in a snide remark. I guess he was aiming that remark towards Rosalie. Even though I am currently strapped to the couch by two guys, I could sense some hostility in the room. I thought they got along just fine. I must really stop assuming things without looking into further detail.

As I thought that, I felt a pang of guilt waving through my body. I still feel immensely guilty about how I lashed out at Jake and his friends and how I ignored the Cullens and the Hales. I guess whatever happens, I should accept it with open arms. Because even though I feel tremendous guilt from my action, I cannot take back what I said. They weren't kidding when they said 'be careful what you say because it might come back and haunt you'.

"Well genius this is where the next part comes in. If you were only patient enough, you would have saved yourself from utter humiliation in front of your girlfriend." Rosalie said with pure confidence. I could tell that she is the kind of person that never backs down from a fight.

"She is not my girlfriend. And how do you know about this?" Edward asked. From the tone of voice he used, I could tell that she hit the right nerve. I could feel his annoyance as we exited the car. He was bound to snap when that subject was brought up again.

"Well, let's just say I have my sources." Rosalie said smugly. I could bet there was a smirk on her face and Edward was glaring at her because of it.

"Emmett?" He replied.

"Yeah. Now enough of this. Take off her blind fold." Rosalie commanded. The only person I knew who would do it was Edward because Emmett and Jasper have their hands tied up at the moment. Do you see the irony? No? Never mind.

"Why?" I heard Emmett asked from beside me.

"Because we want her to be comfortable and know where she is. Then she spill like a glass of sour milk. Understand?" Rosalie replied. Before Edward could reply Rosalie's comment, Emmett spoke.

"Why a glass of sour milk? Why not a glass of fresh milk? Or maybe even a bowl of sour milk? Does it have to be glass and sour…and does it even have to be milk. Can't it be a cup or orange juice? I like orange juice." Emmett said. I could smack Emmett on his head right now. I guess my wish came true because I heard a smack come from the right side of me.

"What was that for? First Alice, then Edward. Now you, Jasper. Doesn't anybody like me?" Emmett whined. I felt this sudden sympathy towards Emmett. I realized that he was just trying to be himself but whatever he said always sounded like a child. Maybe I shouldn't even assume anything. After all, maybe the Cullens and the Hales have gotten used to his childish behavior.

"Emmett darling, what I said was actually a saying so it doesn't really matter. It can be anything you want. But a glass of sour milk was the first thing that popped in my head so that's why I chose it." Rosalie said with a sweet, kind voice. Now I understand why she and Emmett are compatible. She supplies the mature side of the relationship while he makes her laugh and smile when she is stressed. The perfect couple.

"Now enough of this nonsense. Take of her blind folds." Rosalie commanded. I felt the two arms gripping each of my arms tighten. I guess they were afraid I would run off. Gee, that would be a brilliant plan. Only I might suddenly trip and hit my head somewhere and I might end up in a hospital. I shuddered at that thought. I absolutely detested the hospital. One trip there was enough for me. I don't need another.

I felt someone's hands slowly lifting the blind fold over my head. The bright light from the surrounding was a sudden surprise to me because of the amount of time I have been in the dark. I flinched at the intensity of the light force. I felt the arms that were gripping my sides relax at little.

Once I was used the amount of light from the surrounding, I began opening my eyes slowly. Once it was open, I blinked a couple of times. My expression must have shown utter confusion. I thought light was supposed to be either a yellowish glow or a bright white light. But what I saw was a lighting that was neither those two. The colour was the prettiest shade I have ever seen. I could just stare at that colour for a long time. Emerald green. That was the magnificent colour. Emerald green.

I blinked a few more times trying to process that gorgeous colour in my mind. That was when a hit my like a ton of bricks. This wasn't the lighting of the surrounding. This was someone's eyes. And when I looked deeper into them. I realized that there was only one person I knew who had that kind of unforgettable eyes. Edward Cullen.

I must have blushed a million shades of red as I bent my head downwards and removed my gaze from his eyes towards the dark blue carpet. As I did that, I heard someone giggling from upstairs. I guess everyone heard that too because the next thing I knew, everyone was staring at the stairs just like I was. Alice was giggling slightly from the top of the stairs.

"I wondered when you two were going to stop. It looked as though you two were in your own little world." Alice said as she walked gracefully down the stairs. I heard Jasper and Emmett snickering at the side of me. Rosalie had a slight smile on her face and Edward was running his hand through his hair. I looked closely and saw that his cheeks had a slight tint of pink in them. Oh my Gosh! He was blushing. That had to be the cutest thing I ever saw.

"Isn't anyone going to remove the cloth that you had stuffed in her mouth? It's kind off ruining the moment." Alice said as she reached down the stairs. She walked around the couch and stood in front of me. She crouched down and looked me in the eyes before getting up and standing at the edge of the TV. Well that was a major surprise. I thought that she was going to remove the cloth from my mouth since she was the one that noticed it.

But instead, Edward came over to me again and removed the cloth gently as he could. This time he didn't look me in the eyes as the last time. I opened my mouth to allow more room for the cloth to be freed from its personal cage. As he was pulling the cloth free, his knuckles suddenly brushed lightly across my cheek.

That was when I felt it. This sudden spark of electricity and his knuckles touched my cheek. It only lasted for a mere millisecond before Edward dropped his hand. I looked up and saw that his expression must have mirrored mine as well. Shock. That was the emotion that surrounded his face. Then, just as it appeared, it vanished within a second. I guess he didn't want make a scene with what just happened.

He then slowly pulled out the cloth and I was finally able move my mouth. He got up from the floor and went somewhere. As he left, my cheek suddenly had a slight tingly effect. It was as if a small flame of fire was burning lightly against my cheek, at the exact spot where his knuckles had once been. My mind didn't have enough to process what just happened when I heard some whispering towards my left.

"What was that all about?" I heard Rosalie whisper into Alice's ear.

"I don't know. But I got a strange feeling about how things are going turn out from here on." Alice replied.

Rosalie was whispering something else into Alice's ear but I couldn't hear it because my ears were picking up on another sound coming from behind me. I heard footsteps drawing closer and closer to me. And then I out of no where Edward was crouched in front me with a glass of water in his hand. Surprisingly the cloth that he had removed was in his other.

"Drink this. You must be parched. That cloth was stuck in your mouth for almost an hour now." He said while offering me the glass of water. He then nodded his head towards Emmett. Emmett's hold of me was gone. I knew this could be my chance of escape but Jasper still had his grasp over my other arm. So I had to think of some other way.

I took the glass of water from Edward's hand and drank every last drop it contain. I didn't know I was that tired. I guess being kidnapped does drain all the energy from your body. I handed the glass of water back to Edward, careful to avoid any contact with his skin. Once my hand released the glass, Emmett held my arm tightly with both of his hands. Edward placed the glass on a coffee table that was beside the couch.

I began analyzing everything that was in this room trying to find anyway that I could escape without being caught. But before I got far, Alice spoke.

"Well, I hope you're comfortable?" Alice asked me.

"Yes. Thanks for the glass of water." I said in a soft voice. Alice giggled after my little comment.

"This is going to be so much fun. Well let's get started." Alice said. After she said that, Edward, Rosalie and herself sat in a slight curve just in front of me. Edward was in the middle with Alice and Rosalie to his side. I immediately understood what they were doing. They were trying to form a circle around me so I had no place to escape. I took a deep breathe and prepared myself for what was going to happen.

**AN: Once again I would like to apologize more taking such a long time to update this chapter...I've been really busy lately and I just hadn't had the time to update. So sorry! I hope you forgive me. If you you guys have any questions regarding this chapter, I would be more than happy to answer them as fast as I could. Hope you guys are still interested in this story. I know it's not the greatest story in fanfiction but I still hope it's worth your time. Thank you so much for reading. You don't have to review...if you don't want to. But please do, so that I know that there are some people reading this story and it's not a pointless effort. It doesn't have to be long. Even one word would be enough for me. I just need to know if there is anyone interested in this story. Thanks again...**

**~*~ asn ~*~**


	26. Chapter 25: The Great Escape

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own twilight...this disclaimer is for the whole story. **

**AN: I would like to take this moment to thanks to brokenfromthepast and andrewTHATSME for their reviews on the story...**

**Chapter 25: The Great Escape**

"So Bella, tell us about yourself?" Alice asked while smiling encouragingly for me to answer them. Even though guilt came back in waves of displeasure, I still kept my lips sealed. I promised myself that I wouldn't say anything to them since they kidnapped me against my will and I am definitely keeping that promise. I just stared at Alice blankly. I wasn't smiling. I wasn't frowning. My face held no emotion. I learnt that emotion gives you away. It not only tells everyone what you're feeling but that could also give them an advantage by knowing what trick works and does not work on a person.

"Is she going to keep silent for the rest of the day? Because I would like to try to prove to them that we can solve this without their help." Rosalie said while frowning at my attitude of giving them the silent treatment.

"Rosalie, we're doing this for her not for us. Okay? It's partially our fault that we all ended up like this. And it is our responsibility as much as theirs that we try and solve this situation before it gets out of hands." Jasper said. Jasper's comment involved a third party. Who could they be talking about? Do you think that they could be talking about Angela and Ben? I was more civil to them than I was to the Cullens and the Hales. No! They wouldn't tell them about my secret. But, they did know the Cullens and the Hales much longer than I did. Do you think that were playing this whole time? That they pretended not be involved in this whole ordeal just to get information out of me. My trust in Angela and Ben started decreasing rapidly as I thought of more reason for them to betray me. But, I didn't want to think that they wanted me kidnapped. I suddenly wished that I never came back to Forks. I wonder how my life would have been if I had been selfish and moved with my mom and Phil, wherever they went. But I knew that I couldn't be selfish even if I wanted to. It just wasn't right. It felt really wrong to think of yourself instead of others.

"Bella! Come on! We won't hurt you. We just want to know what's been bothering you. Ever since last week, you have been acting really strange around us. We are trying to help you. Honest! Please, Bella." Alice said pleadingly. She even put on a puppy dog face just to accentuate the effect of her pleading. The look she gave almost made me want to give into her request. But when memory of what they did appeared momentarily, I stopped myself from doing so.

"They are going to be here in about 10 minutes. It doesn't take that long to drive here. Besides, your house isn't that far from theirs anyway." Rosalie said while that frown reappeared on her face.

"Oh would you just shut up! This isn't about competing with them. We are here to try and solve the situation at hand. And not make it worse. Why are against them anyway?" Alice shouted at Rosalie. I felt a relief swept through me as her gaze left mine.

"I was never against them. I just wanted prove that we're better than them. That I'm better than them." Rosalie said while glancing at her fingernails.

"Rosalie, you're not better than them. No one is better than anyone. We are all equal. And we should just accept differences each of us have. So could you stop obsessing over being better than them? Because you never will!" Alice yelled in frustration at Rosalie's attitude.

I just stared at them as they continued their fight over someone being better than the other. Emmett and Jasper were watching their girlfriends battle it on. Edward was actually watching…me. Ok! That was odd. As my gaze met his, I immediately shifted it towards the argument Rosalie and Alice are currently having. I felt Emmett and Jasper turned to face each other to whisper something. Which unfortunately for them, I could hear since they were just above my head.

"Do you think we should interfere?" Jasper asked Emmett quietly.

"No! This is so cool. A girl on girl battle. I hope some fighting would be involved. Then we can have some real action." Emmett said. As Emmett said this, he let go of my arm and started throwing his hands in the air as he cheered on Rosalie.

Jasper seeing Emmett cheering on his girlfriend and saw Alice's glare towards him released his hold of me and began cheering Alice on.

I knew this was my chance to escape since both Jasper and Emmett had released their grip. I could easily slip by them and make a run for it. The only problem was that Edward still stared at me. His forehead held creases in them as he tried to figure me out. If only he would shift his gaze to another focus.

That was when I realized that Edward sat in between Alice and Rosalie. He was in the middle of their fight. And just as registered that thought, Alice and Rosalie started fighting not only verbally but also physically.

Alice reached across and grabbed Rosalie's hair and started pulling on it. Rosalie started screaming profound loudly and her face turned to one of the most furious glares I have ever seen in my life. Rosalie grabbed Alice's arm and started pulling on it. Since Alice was practically twice the size of Rosalie, she flew and unfortunately for Edward, landed in his lap.

Edward surprised by the sudden action, turned his gaze from mine and stared shockingly at Alice and Rosalie fighting across his lap. The cheers from Emmett and Jasper increased tremendously. The noise got so loud; I could barely here the foul words Rosalie and Alice were giving each other.

That was all the distraction I needed. As Edward shifted his gaze to look towards Rosalie and Alice, I got up from the couch and climbed over it. That was the only way possible. I couldn't go left or right because then I would be in front of Jasper or Emmett and that would have ruined my chances for escape.

Unfortunately for me, my clumsiness had to make a special appearance. So I as climbed over the couch, my leg got caught somewhere and I fell flat towards the ground. I stayed on the ground for a while listening for an indication that they heard my fall. I could still hear Alice and Rosalie fighting, Emmett and Jasper still cheering them on and…I could hear Edward trying to break them apart.

I immediately got up from the ground and started running. I wanted to head towards the door but I was afraid that they would hear the sound of the door opening or that they would see me escape. The door was in perfect view for anyone of them to see. I instead started running in the opposite direction.

I didn't know where I was going. But the only object my eyes could focus on was the staircase. I ran as fast as I could up the flight of stairs. I didn't care that my shoes were making thumping noises as I climbed up each steps. They were as soft as a feather compared to the noises Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper and Edward were making.

Once I reached up the stairs, I paused momentarily trying to find a place to hide. I saw another flight of stairs leading up to the third floor and rushed towards it. The only thought that my mind had was that the higher I was the longer it would take for them to find me.

I started running up the stairs and up towards the third floor. I guess I was paying too much attention on reaching the third floor that I didn't realize there was on last step. I tripped on it and fell flat towards the third floor. My arms automatically tried to brace the fall but it ended up to no avail. I thought I heard a crack as my face came in contact with the ground.

My head was spinning at a rapid speed. I wanted to just lie there to stop my head from spinning. Just as I was about to rest my head on the ground, I heard a sound that I dreaded since I was brought here. The sound of the doorbell ringing could be heard through the entire house. Then the worst thing happened. The noises from downstairs came to a halt.

"That must be them." I heard Alice mutter. Even from upstairs, her voice was quite loud. My heart felt like it was beating a thousand beats per second.

I heard someone open the door and welcomed my unwanted visitors.

"Welcome. Come on in. She's in the living room." I heard Alice greet them.

I immediately got up from the ground and ran towards the only door I could see. I knew they were going to realize that I was gone as soon as the visitors entered the living room. I shut the door to the room quietly as I could. But just before the door fully shut, I heard some say.

"She's gone. She escaped. This is your entire fault. If you hadn't started arguing something so minor, we could have prevented this from happening." I heard Jasper say. Wow! And I thought he was the calm on among the whole group.

"Enough! We have to find her. She couldn't have gotten far." I heard Edward say. His voice held many different tones in them. One I identified as frustration. I guess he was tired from trying break up Alice and Rosalie's fight. But there was this other tone in his voice that I couldn't quite identify. It sounded to me like…worry? It couldn't be worry. Why would he be worried?

I didn't have enough time to process that thought because I heard movements from downstairs. And it sounded to me like they had began their search…for me.

I looked around the room trying to find a place to hide. I ended up in a bedroom. The room was definitely bigger than my own room. I didn't lock the door or else they would definitely know that I was in here. I didn't have enough time to pay attention to details of the room.

There was a closet at the right corner of the room. I wanted to hide in there but that was such a common place to hide. I ran towards the bathroom that was connected to this room. I looked around that saw that it had a nice big bathtub. And a curtain all around it. It would make such a perfect place to hide. I could cover the bathtub with the curtain and just lie down until the sounds start disappearing.

I climbed into the bathtub and pulled the curtain to cover the sides. And I just lay there looking up at the ceiling for the bathroom. As I lay there, focusing on the patterns of the ceiling, that my mind finally calm down and began to think rationally. I came to two saddening conclusion. I realized that this was the Cullens house. And they would continue searching until they have found me. Or that I might start to feel hungry and come out of my own hiding spot.

At that thought, my stomach grumbled. And that was where I knew that I was going to be in big trouble. I quietly lay down and hummed a quiet tune to myself. Music always helped calmed me down in whatever situation I was facing.

I started humming a song that was contradicted my current position. You are not alone by Michael Jackson. His songs were amazing. Unfortunately, his life ended in a tragic death. Rest in Piece, Michael Jackson.

I guessed I must have fallen asleep because as I looked out through the window. And in the sky, I could see that twilight was nearing. And before I knew it, night fall would soon arise.

I was about to get up and head downstairs when I heard a sound. A door opening. A door that happened to be the door of the bedroom that I hid in. I lay down and took a few deep breaths. In and Out. In and Out.

I heard another door open and I figured that since it wasn't the bathroom door, it must have been the door to the closet. I knew hiding there was too obvious. I'm so lucky I watch a lot of TV shows to know not to hide there. I heard the person who entered the room sigh and closed the closet doors.

Footsteps were getting louder and louder as they headed in the direction of the bathroom. My breathing came to a halt as the doorknob of the bathroom slowly turned making a squeaking sound in the process.

The squeaking noises stopped and the sound of the door opening could be heard through the curtain of the bathtub. I could hear the person walking in. There were cabinets under the sink. So when I heard the sound of opening doors and closing doors, I presumed that the person who entered the room thought that I would be there.

I silently laughed in my head. I knew I wasn't as small as Alice but only Alice could probably hide there. I heard the person standing up again by the sound of knees cracking.

"Did you find her?" A person outside asked.

"No, not yet." The person that was in the bathroom answered.

"She has to be somewhere. Keep searching." The person outside replied.

I heard the person inside sigh again. My heart was beating too loud for me to recognize the voices. But I knew that if I calmed myself down, I would be able to identify them in a blink of an eye.

My heart picked up its speed as I saw the person inside the bathroom's shadow reflect against the curtain. The person was either facing the bathtub or against it. I couldn't tell.

This person sighed again and I saw his hands running through his hair. It was obvious it wasn't a girl because of the length of hair. It couldn't be Rosalie's because her hair is long. And it couldn't be Alice's because Alice doesn't run her hands through her hair. I have only seen one person do this. And I got a good feeling who it is. My mind, heart and body relaxed as I saw his shadow disappear from the curtain. The sound of his footsteps could be heard leaving the bathroom.

It was my turn to sigh in relief. But that was when the trouble started. His footsteps suddenly came to a halt. My breathing stopped immediately and I cursed myself for sighing earlier. The shadow that disappeared just a second ago was now back. And it now it was obvious that he was facing the bathtub.

I silently prayed that he would turn around and leave thinking that it was his imagination. But I guess luck wasn't with me. His hands grabbed the side of the curtain and pulled it open. I was now lying in the bathtub with my eyes closed while he stared at me. I could feel his stair burning through me like a flame of a fire. I knew closing my eyes was useless but I did it anyway.

He continued to stare at me for what felt like several minutes before he purposely coughed to catch my attention. And I being the idiot I am, who is always willing to help other people, opened my eyes. Our eyes met and we continued staring each other for another several minutes before an outside sound interrupted.

"Hey, did you find her yet." Alice said once again.

Edward took a while to answer before he said, "No!"

Alice huffed and headed downstairs. The sound could be heard by the clicking of her high heels. Edward held his hand out. I stared at it for a few seconds before grabbing it. He pulled me up and we stood there in the bathroom, staring at each other before he said.

"I'm sorry."

That was all he said as he pulled me towards the door.

**AN: What do you think is going to happen to Bella? I hope this chapter was ok. If you have any questions regarding the stories, please feel free to ask. You don't have to review if you don't want to.**

**~*~ Asn ~*~**


	27. Chapter 26: Unknown Feelings

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own twilight...this disclaimer is for the whole story. **

**AN: I would like to take this moment to thanks to brokenfromthepast and dlpash for their reviews on the story...**

**Chapter 26: Unknown Feelings**

My mind protested deeply against his actions but my body just succumbed to the movement. He led to me outside the bathroom and towards the bed that was in the middle of the room. He sat me down on the edge of the bed and removed his hands from my own.

"Stay right there." He said as he moved towards the bedroom door. My body immediately snapped out of it just as he said that.

"No! Don't…" I yelled at him but before I could even finish the sentence, his rushed over towards me and clamped my mouth shut with his hand. He turned to look me in the eyes before placing his index finger over his mouth. It was an indication that I had to keep quiet. Since I couldn't respond due to his hand over my mouth, I merely nodded.

He nodded in reply as he removed his hand from my lips that were now burning with intense heat. I could feel the blush rising from my cheeks and I looked away. Before my gaze left his, I could have sworn I saw a slight smile on his face.

I watched as he made his way towards the door before opening it. My face must have shown an indication of fear because he turned around a placed an index finger on his lips. Just like the last time, I nodded in response to his request.

He then opened the bedroom door and stepped outside. He turned around and gave me an encouraging smile before he closed the door. Just as the door closed with a click sound, my heart started pounding rapidly against my thorax. My mind was on alert to everything that was happening. My thoughts tried to process what just happened. He lied to Alice about finding me. Why would he do that? Do you think it is possible that he was trying to save me? If he was, then why would he go back down and alert them that he has found me and that I'm up in a bedroom.

_You don't know that Edward went to alert everyone else to where exactly you are, do you?_ My mind contradicted what I just said. It is possible that he didn't do that. Maybe he just went to check on something. I knew that I had to calm myself down before I had a major heart attack. It's not the first time I felt that it could happen.

My mind focused its gaze towards the details of this bedroom in order to distract me. The floor was covered with a thick golden carpet, and walls were hung with heavy fabric in a slightly darker shade. Towards the western wall, it was completely covered with shelf after shelf of CDs. This room was definitely better stocked than a music store. In the corner was a sophisticated – looking sound system. Towards the east of the room was a wide and inviting black leather sofa. The closet that was towards the right corner of the room was made out of mahogany wood from what I could see. It had a unique carving imprinted on it. I could tell that the closet was carved with such delicacy and patience.

The bed that I was sitting on was colossal size. The coverlet was a dull gold, just lighter than the walls. The frame was black, made of intricately patterned wrought iron. Sculpted metal roses wound in vines up the tall posts and formed a bowery lattice overhead. I glanced out the window and noticed that its view looked down on the winding Sol Duc River, across the untouched forest to the Olympic Mountain Range. The mountains were much closer than anyone would have believed.

I was about to let my mind admire the beauty of nature when I heard some commotion outside the doors of the bedroom. I sat at the edge of the bed and tried to listen to exactly what was happening outside the walls of this room.

"Hey guys did you find anything? Wait! Did you hear that? I think I heard something coming from the library." I heard Edward shout to everyone that was still looking for me.

"She always loved that place." I heard someone say but I couldn't quite indentify the voice. The tone of it was muffled by the sound of people running on the floor below me. I could hear footsteps stamping all over that floor. I tried to listen carefully at their sounds but because of my clumsiness, I fell of the bed.

I was just lucky that the room was carpeted. It helped reduce the sound of my fall. The carpet felt really soft and light. I guess Edward heard the sound of my fall because he quietly opened the door to make sure I was ok.

"Are you ok?" He said with concern leaking through his voice.

"Yeah! I'm just fine." I said as I pulled myself up from the carpet below.

"I could faintly hear the sound but I'm sure they didn't." He said as he entered the door and closed it shut. I knew he locked the door because there was a clicking sound just after it shut. He turned around and helped me up from the carpet.

"Thank you." I replied. I could tell that he understood the double meaning of the words. I was thanking him for helping me up and for not telling them where I was. He simply nodded and headed towards the black leather couch.

After he sat on the couch, his eyes met mine own and we held our gazes for a few minutes before I felt the all too usual blush rise towards my cheeks. As I shifted my gaze, he let out a brief chuckle.

"I don't know why you're embarrassed by that. You look really cute when you blush." As he said, I could feel the heat in my cheeks increase even more rapidly. That set him off and caused him to chuckle even more.

His expression suddenly turned serious as he looked at me. He ran his hands through his hear before pinching the bridge of his nose. He held that position for a while before finally dropping it.

"Ok…I'm sorry." That was the only thing he said as he looked at me for a response towards his apology. I couldn't help myself but I just responded.

"For what?" He seemed a little surprised at my answer. He then sighed loudly before continuing with his response.

"For what?! For everything, Bella. For all the trouble that caused you to distance yourself from us. For acting strange around you. For…for absolutely everything that we have done. We're sorry. I'm sorry. We didn't mean to hurt your feelings. We just wanted to figure you out. You not as simple as most people thought. You were definitely different. And I just wanted to get to know you better." Edward said everything in a rush that I had to strain my ear to catch everything that he had said.

I took a while to process everything he had just said. I didn't know what to feel. At first I felt angry when he brought up that subject. I just wanted to pretend that this whole ordeal was just a horrible nightmare that I might wake up from soon. But I knew that running away and avoiding problems always resulted in the worst case scenario.

But then we he started apologizing on behalf of everyone, my anger vanished. I didn't why it happened, it just did. I guess when you know someone who did something wrong and they apologized, you just have this sudden instinct to forgive them. I would be really cruel if I didn't even though what they did crossed over the line. I definitely wouldn't live with myself if I did something wrong and apologized for it and the person didn't forgive me. That would definitely hurt. I can forgive them but it might take some time for us to actually go back to the way it was before all this happened.

I was about to forgive him and what everyone else did when I remembered something he said. He said "I just wanted to get to know you better." He used the word I instead of 'we'. Why would he do that?

_It might have just slipped out when he was trying to apologize of everyone's behalf. _My mind reappeared once again. I just realized something. My mind is always contradicting what I think. Maybe I should listen to the inner voice more often. It usually tells us what the right thing to do is. And people who usually listen to their inner voices most of the time avoid trouble. Most of the time. There are always a few mishaps.

But for some unknown reason, what he said is troubling me very much. I have this burning desire to want to know whether what he said was a mishap or what he actually meant. That he wanted to get to know me better. I felt this sudden joy inside my heart as I thought that. This is all very confusing to me. I mean, it's not like I thought of him like that or anything. We hardly even know each other.

_And maybe that was what he was trying to do. Trying to get to know you better. There's only one way to find out what his real intensions are. You have to ask him. _My inner voice kept on encouraging me to ask him what he really meant. And finally I couldn't take it anymore, it just got too annoying, so I did what my inner voice told me to.

"I?" I asked him. I think I confused him with that.

_Real smooth Bella, real smooth. What is he suppose to make of that. 'I'! All you gave him was 'I'. Couldn't you do better than that? Never mind, he's answering you._

"What?" He asked with utter confusions printed on his face. That look was sort of cute on him. Woah! Where in the world did that come from? There is definitely something wrong with me. As far as I know, I have never thought of a guy as cute before. Sure there were a couple of guys that my friends considered good – looking. But to me, I just didn't see guys as hot, cute, ugly or anything. I don't know what's wrong with me but it's the way I am. I usually pay attention to the guy's personality or talents. The looks never really registered as important to me. And now I'm suddenly thinking Edward is cute. I think I need to be admitted to an asylum. Hurry, before I become insane.

_Geez, are you always this panicked about something. Relax, this is just prove that you're maturing. Even though you're already matured enough. I guess maybe because half your life so far has been about pretending, you never really paid attention to guys. That's why its such a major shock for you went you finally noticed Edward and thought he was cute._

I guess I never really thought about it like that. Wow! This whole pretending ordeal definitely has a lot of draw backs. I just want to solve this whole crisis and maybe we all can start fresh again. Pretend this thing never happen. Yeah! That sounds nice.

"Um…you said "I just wanted to get to know you better" instead of "we just wanted to get to know you better"" I told him. Looked of realization crossed his face before he cleared his throat while running his hands through his hair.

"Um…yeah! Uh, what I meant was 'we', of course. My bad." He replied. He shifted his gaze, clearly uncomfortable about his mistake. But as he shifted his gaze, I could have sworn I saw a hint of pink in his cheek. I made him blush. That was so cool. I guess I found it amazing that I could make a guy blush that I didn't know I let out a small giggle.

Edward turned back to face with another confused look on his face. I guess he must be wondering why in the world I am suddenly giggling. Before he could ask, I interrupted him.

"Nothing! Nothing! Sorry." I said.

"So…um do you?" He asked me. I guess my face showed confusion now since I had no idea what he was saying. Do I what? I must have been lost in my thoughts for a long time since I didn't hear his question.

"Do I what?" I asked him back.

"You know…forgive me. Forgive us…for what we did." He asked nervously. He must have been stressing out on whether I would actually forgive them. I wasn't really sure myself but after hearing his apology, I guess I would. As I said, it wouldn't feel right if I didn't.

"Of course. I forgive you." I said while smiling slightly. My smile brightened even more when I saw the joyous look on Edward's face. He definitely is really happy that I forgave me and the others as well.

"Thank you so much, Bella. You don't know how bad it felt to do that to do you. I still can't believe you forgave me and the others as well." Edward was almost practically jumping for joy that I think he didn't realize that he placed his hand on mine. As his hand touched mine, I felt that same spark as I did when his knuckles grazed my cheek. He must have realized what he did when I saw him remove his hands. I guess he felt that same intense electricity as well.

"Sorry." Edward apologized.

"It's not big deal." I replied for both of his comment. I guess he also realized. But what surprised me the most was his reactions. I expected him to just continue smiling but instead his smile faded into a grim. He was staring at me with more seriousness than before. I could tell that he wanted to say something but just couldn't find the words.

"Bella…thank you for forgiving us but it is a big deal. And we have to discuss this whole situation until both sides have a complete understanding of what happened. So that we may know how we hurt you and you may know what our real intentions were. And that is why we brought you here. For you to open up to us and tell us what's going on in your life and for us to tell you how sorry we are for our actions and to explain them to you." I just stared at him as he said those words. I didn't want to admit it but he does have a point. The only way to solve this whole ordeal is to that exactly what they said. I guess that's why they kidnapped me here. To try and talk some sense into me. Even if they asked nicely, I wouldn't have even agreed to it. But the way Edward put it, they did the right thing by kidnapping me here. It was the only way, that we might get this whole ordeal solved.

"And that is why…we need to…go downstairs now. To straighten everything out. Forgiving each other is not enough. We have to know both sides of this situation in order for us to forgive and forget. So Bella, would you please go down." Edward said nervously.

I didn't want to look at Edward's face as I thought this through. I closed my eyes shut and looked away and my forehead creased as I thought deeply about it.

Edward does have a point in many of the things he said. And even my inner voice was telling me to go downstairs. But I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I had a small feeling that if I told them my story they would make fun of me and hate me. Then I would definitely have a horrible high school life. But then again, nobody's high school life is perfect. Everyone I knew hated high school. Sadly, I would never know the outcome until I actually embraced it. Courage is important or else I would always worry about who the future is going to turn out and I will miss out on a lot of opportunities.

"Please, Bella." As Edward said that, my mind was made up. I would go downstairs and face a risk. It might turn out for the better or the worse. I'll just have to find out.

I opened my eyes and nodded with a confident smile on my face. Edward smiled back at me and grabbed my hand to lift be of the bed. We headed towards the door with his hand still holding mine. I stopped halfway there because I wanted to do something that my subconscious kept bothering about before I meet my destiny.

"But before we go down, I would like to do something first." I said as I gazed into Edward's eyes. I mustered up all the confidence I had and sucked a deep breath.

What I did next shocked the both of us majorly. What I didn't expect was his reaction towards what I did. And that surprised me entirely.

**AN: What do you think Bella is going to do? It's not that unexpected really. I just wanted to put it there for fun. Add a little twist to the story.. Thanks to those who read this story and you don't have to review if you don't want to..**

**~*~ Asn ~*~**


	28. Chapter 27: Mutual Connection

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own twilight...this disclaimer is for the whole story. **

**Chapter 27: Mutual Connection**

My mind was spinning like a whirl wind. Some many thoughts were passing through. I stared at those emerald, green orbs. Memorizing every detail of them. How they seem to sparkle under these luminescent lights. And I realize, as I stared at him, that I could not do it. Could not go downstairs and face all of them. Could not leave this room, knowing that it could change my life. And most of all, I could not do what I deeply wanted to happen. Those eyes seem to be piercing through me. As if it had a force that was so powerful, it could obliterate all the problems that I was currently facing.

My whole heart was telling me to go ahead and do it. But my mind was objecting to it, constantly telling me of the consequences that could occur from my actions. I was having an internal dilemma and it added more stress to the current situation. I think it was the intense pressure that pushed me over the edge.

I lightly placed both of my medium-sized hands on his cheeks. I stared intensely at his eyes again as my vision gradually became cloudy. And when I knew I could not take it anymore, I tossed my hands around his neck and pulled myself closer to him. That was when I broke down. I felt as if the pressure of the entire world was upon my shoulders and I just had to let it out. I cried, and cried, and cried until there wasn't a drop left.

Edward, being the perfect gentleman he is, held me tightly and slowly began rubbing my back soothingly. My actions surprised him at first but then he began comforting me as I let everything that I had bottled up in my heart out. He guided me towards the black sofa that he was sitting on a few minutes ago. My mind wasn't aware of my actions but I could feel my body moving as he guided me to the sofa.

He sat us both down with much effort on my part. Tears were still in my eyes but I had stopped crying. I leaned into his left shoulder as his hand rubbed my arm up and down. He didn't say any comforting words to me but he didn't have to. His actions spoke for themselves. After all, actions speak louder than words.

After the water works finally came to an end, he removed his hand from my arm. I was a little saddened by his movement but then I realized what he was doing. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a beige coloured handkerchief. He handed the handkerchief to me as I realized that I was sniffing. I smiled at him before accepting the handkerchief and began drying my tears.

"I'm sorry." I said as I looked at the handkerchief he lent me. I didn't want to see his face as I apologized for the scene that I just made. I didn't notice before but the handkerchief had a nice classic pattern to it and towards right corner the letter 'EC' was embroidered on it.

Our hands touched slightly as I handed the handkerchief back to him. He accepted the handkerchief back but not before rubbing his thumb over the back of my hand. Just as I was getting used to the feeling of his skin against mine, it vanished. I looked down and saw that his hand that was evidently on mine a few seconds ago was now tracing the pattern of the handkerchief. His eyes were focused on the movements of his fingers.

"I'm also really sorry about the handkerchief." I said as I looked away from him. My eyes gazed at the floor for a couple of second before I felt his hand at the base of my chin. I didn't want to look at him but his actions made it impossible to do otherwise. I finally turned my head only to see those piercing green eyes staring at me with such power. His hand remained at the base of my chin but his thumb was slowly and delicately drawing circles on my cheek.

The feeling on his hand on my cheek triggered the blush that I was trying so hard to hide. I tried to turn my face so that I wouldn't have to look into his eyes but his hand had such a firm hold on my chin that wouldn't allow me to do so. I finally took a deep breath and our eyes met. Those swirling pools of emerald green felt as it were gazing into my chocolate brown eyes.

"Bella, please don't hide that blush from me. You have nothing to be embarrassed about. Please look at me, Bella. Listen to me! You look absolutely radiant with it and you have to believe it. It's something that makes you special. I wouldn't change it for the world." He said.

A slight smile appeared across his face as he said that. I couldn't help but smile as well. Although what he said was absolutely sweet, it just made me blush even more. His smile grew larger as he saw the deepening shade of red imprinted on my cheek. A strand of hair was blowing in front of my eyes. But before I could do anything about it, Edward's thumb gently smoothed the top of my forehead before placing that strand of hair behind my right ear. His face produced a smile as he removed his hand from my face. He brought both of my hands together and held them firmly before bringing them to his lips. As his lips parted from my skin, the wonderful stinging sensation made its reappearance. His smile slowly began to fade as a serious look took over his face. He stared at me in the eyes before he began.

"Bella, are you ok?" He asked me. He didn't pressure me into telling him what triggered the earlier reaction. He had true concern for me written all over his face.

I reviewed back about what was going on through my mind before I broke down earlier. In truth, it was my confused feelings towards him that finally tore me apart. What my heart wanted to do as we stood facing each other at the doorstep was to actually kiss him. I know it sounds stupid to actually want to kiss someone I don't know very well. But there was just something about him. Something that was telling me everything in the world would be alright. And that was what confused me a whole lot. I had never felt like this towards anyone. No one at all. I smiled lightly at him before sighing loudly. I didn't want to tell him anything because I was afraid that he would think I was crazy or maybe even insane. But as I looked in his eyes, all I could see was pure worry and concern about the dilemma that was rampaging through my mind.

"I'm fine, now. I'm really sorry about earlier."

"No! Bella, sshh! You have nothing to apologize for. You did nothing wrong. I shouldn't have pressured you to go downstairs when you weren't ready. It was my entire fault. I'm so sorry" He said as he soothingly rubbed both of hands that were sandwiched between his.

What he said made my heart ache a little. I really couldn't believe what I was hearing. He was absolutely endearing. He's apologizing for what occurred minutes ago. My heart was aching even more as I thought about it. He thought that he asking me to go downstairs was what caused me to break down. I couldn't take it. I pulled my hand out from his grasp and folded them across my chest. I stared at him with slight anger. How could he take the blame for something that he didn't do?

"No, you don't understand. This wasn't your fault. I…I couldn't take it anymore. I was so confused. Everything that had happen came flooding back into my mind and I just couldn't handle it. It…It was just too hard." I didn't realize it but I was shivering slightly. Edward was about to put this arm around to comfort me but I pushed it aside.

I made up my mind earlier that I was going to go downstairs and face my destiny and I'm sticking to it. I would not be afraid of the future. I have to accept what it has planned out for me and I will do it with courage. Subconsciously I knew the double meaning behind the words. I was ready not only to face my future but to let me feelings run free and out in the open. My mind was made up and whatever may happen in the aftermath, I would just welcome it open heartedly.

I turned to look at him square in the face and smiled before saying, "I'm ready." His concern towards me immediately vanished once he saw the smile on my face. He grabbed my hands and was about to stand up when I shook my head. Confusion was displayed on his face. I removed my hands from his grasp gently before gazing into his eyes for a few seconds.

As power flooded through me, I grabbed his face with both of my hands. Then I did something that shocked him entirely. I kissed him with intense force that probably knocked the wind out of him. I didn't know what possessed me to do something so…I don't even have any words that could explain what I just did.

His reaction towards what I did at first didn't surprise me one bit. I mean, if someone you hardly knew kissed so vibrantly, you would definitely be in a state of shock. But then out of nowhere, he started kissing me back which definitely surprised me the most. I would be appalled if someone kissed me like that without my permission. Unless. Could it be? Those feelings that I was experiencing went both ways. That he actually has some underlying feelings for me as well.

I had never had much experience kissing before. Truth be told, this is actually my first one. Well, if you don't count the accidental kiss between me and Jake. Our backs were facing each other when we just so happened to turn around at the same time. Our lips met for only about a millisecond before we started spitting out what we could of each other. Jake and I knew that our relationship would always remain platonic. Well that was until the prank calls that he and his friends pulled on me.

I shoved that thought aside by focusing on the man that was sitting right beside me. He hands had subconsciously moved towards my waist and held it in a firm position. My mind was going into overload that I didn't realize that my hands had slid from their position on his face and onto the back of Edward's head. My hands practically wrapped themselves our Edward's neck and pulled him in.

Unfortunately, this joyous feeling didn't last as long as I wanted it to. My lungs were burning like a huge flame from the lack of oxygen it wasn't getting. The connection between our lips sadly was separated. I guess he was thinking the exact same thing as I was. Our breathing was labored and I was panting so hard that the thought of running out of oxygen entered my mind. You couldn't blame it. My mind was going haywire.

I closed my eyes as I breathed in the scent of him. He had this nice mixture of a minty cream that was radiating from him. His smell almost made my mind lose its logical thinking. I felt as though electricity was flowing through my veins. The fire sensation on my lips still remained although his lips were no longer there. Our foreheads were pressed tightly together. It was as if we didn't want to let each other go. I couldn't see what was going on through his mind. I just hope he wasn't angry with me.

"Oh, Bella! You had no idea how long I wanted to do that." He whispered softly. I opened my eyes in shock. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I didn't know how strong they were but he had feelings for me too. As my eyes travelled into eyes, I realized that my inner voice was right. All I had to do was take the risk. If I didn't, I would have never found out about Edward's feelings towards me. Whether the feelings were one way or both ways. I couldn't help the smile that came upon my face.

My mind however had other plans. The smile that was on my face wasn't a sweet, classic smile. It was more of a teasing one. Everything was a little bit overpowering for me. I just didn't some laughter to help me deal with the scenario that just occurred.

"Really? How long was that?" I asked him as my teasing smile became more prominent. I could tell that he knew I was teasing him. Jake and his friends had always told me I wasn't good at acting but I worked on it and that was how I managed to play many parts when I was travelling with Renee and Phil. I guess now that everything was going to be revealed, my acting skills had subconsciously slipped away.

"Hmm…I think it was about? OK! I lied, it wasn't very long. I could sense that you were something special from the moment I saw you sitting by yourself at the beach. You had this whole enigma cloud hovering over you and it intrigued me a little. OK, a lot. Because of this whole mess, I couldn't bring myself to say anything in the car earlier. I was afraid of what my sister and brother would make of it. I'm sorry if I had hurt your feelings by saying that I didn't like you. I didn't mean it, at all. Um…what I'm trying to say is I like you but…" He said before I cut him off.

"You want to get to know me better we rush into anything." I finished his line for him. He nodded in response.

I could see where he was going with this. I was a little bit surprised that he found me intriguing. I always thought that I was a bit on the boring side. Always pretending, never real. But something about me intrigued him. I would definitely want to try and figure what it was. But it's going to take time and we have to solve this whole ordeal in order for things to be better.

"I get it. And don't worry about the event that happened in the car, it was nothing. Truth is, I never really thought much about you or any of you on my way over here. I was just trying to think of what was waiting for me at the end of the line. But then when we were all in the living room of…whose house are we in anyway?" I asked him as I glanced around the room.

"Mine. Well, not really. Technically it's my mom and dad's house but you get idea." He said. I laughed slightly his remark.

"Wow! So this is the infamous Cullens household. Impressive, I would have to say." I said jokingly at him.

"Well, I wouldn't say the infamous Cullens. We're more of the stupendous and extraordinaire Cullens." He said proudly. He was so full of himself but I knew that we were joking around a bit to lighten the mood.

"Well, from you're little remark, I would say that someone was a little too full of himself." I said teasingly.

"Hmm, I wonder who he is. Is he here in this room?" He replied as his head searched the entire room. I just shook my head at his response. He turned his head to face me again with a smirk implanted on it. I bit my lip as I looked at how cute he was with that expression on.

"You were saying?" He asked me.

"What?"

"You were saying when we all where in the living room, then you got distracted."

"Oh right, um…when we were all gathered in the living room and when Alice asked you to take off the blindfold, um…did you happen to feel a…" I was cut of my Edward's reply.

"Spark of electricity and a fiery sensation?" He asked me. All I could do was nod. It surprised that he felt it too. I wonder what it could mean. Maybe it had nothing to do with us and it was the elements of the environment.

"Yeah, I felt it too." He responded.

"Um…anyway, when I was up in the bathroom and you came in and found me, I was absolutely terrified. But then when you lied to Alice, I didn't know what do think. Then you lead everyone away from here and towards the library, I knew that you weren't going to hurt me. As we started talking, there was something about you that I couldn't shake off. It was as if, you were always there no matter what I did. You never forced me to tell you anything. You apologized of everyone's behalf. And you helped me gain some confidence in going down to see everyone. I knew there was something about you. Something that was beyond anything words could ever describe. And that was when the feelings that were extremely confusing came. I couldn't handle it and so I broke down. But now that I know you feel something for me as well, I'm no longer confused. What ever happens down there, I can face it." I replied. I just poured out some of my feelings to him and it felt really good.

People tell you bottling up your feelings is wrong but you do it anyway because you're afraid of being judged by others. You try once a in a while to say something to your friends about what you're going through, but they just don't seem to care. What I learnt was that you have to be honest and have the courage to tell them exactly what is happening in your life or one day, you will literally blow up. It may be hard at first but eventually you will get the hang of it.

"No! We can face it. And we'll face it together." He said as he stood up.

He held his hand out for me. I confidently grabbed it and pulled myself up. I was ready. I was ready to face anything that life destined for me to face. What I knew deep down, was that I was not alone in this. Edward will be there. We walked towards the door, hand-in-hand. His reached out to unlock the door. Before he could open the door, I turned to face him and we kissed one last time before entering a meeting with destiny.

However, destiny had a surprise meeting planned ahead for us. As our lips met, the door that divided the outside from the bedroom opened and a little pixie appeared.

"Edward, we searched everywhere and she's not…there" Alice said as she looked at us. She eyed us with wide eyes. Then a smirk was formed on her face.

**AN: Oh no! Alice found them. What do you think is going to happen? Thanks for bearing with me. I'm sorry for the long update. Hope you guys forgive me. Reviews are not compulsory. Thanks again for your time.**

**~*~ Asn ~*~**


	29. Chapter 28: Meeting the Rest

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own twilight...this disclaimer is for the whole story. **

**Chapter 28: Meeting the Rest**

"Well, so much for denying the fact that you don't like her. Follow me." She said as she led the way out of the door.

Edward and I immediately broke the kiss and stood at least a few feet away from each other. My face was plastered with shock and embarrassment at the fact that his sister had found us and caught us kissing. Edward however, had a smile on his face. He held the door open for me to go first. That was incredibly sweet. Not many guys do that. But I'm going to have a talk with him about where we stand.

Alice leaned against the railing of the stairs before making her announcement.

"Everyone, assemble in the living room. The target has been found. I repeat the target has been found." She said before she turned around to face us. Edward raised an eyebrow at his sister.

"The target?" He asked her.

"Emmett's idea!"

"Go figure." Was his only response.

Alice however, stood there against the railing with the same smirk implanted on her face.

"Well, it seems as though the two of you had quite a lot of fun as we were scavenging the place." She said.

"Well um…I." Before I could reply her, she cut me off.

"Save it! I'm glad though. Finally, Mr. Hot-shot over there wouldn't be the fifth wheel any longer. But first, we have this whole ordeal to get over and done with. Then we could have some real fun." She said menacingly. She then marched herself down the stairs on her 3-inch high heels. I always envied people with such good balance but then I realized that if I had good balance I would have to walk around on those types of shoes.

Before I could even move one foot, Edward turned be around so that I was facing him. I would never get tired of looking at him. But now what I really wanted was to head downstairs and as Alice said 'get this whole ordeal over and done with.'

"Are you sure you're ready? You're not having second thoughts are you? You're not going to run out of the house when no one is looking right?" He asked me.

"Of course I'm ready. But now that you mention it, my chances of running out of the house are pretty high. I think I would take it." I said to him, jokingly.

"Bella!" He warned me slightly.

"I was kidding. Please, have you seen me walk? I could barely even walk across a flat surface without falling. How do you expect me to run out of the house with tripping over my two left feet and falling flat on my face again?"

"Fine! But I'm watching you. And if you try to pull some funny stunt, I would personally punish you myself." Edward warned me, again. I don't what had gotten into my head the pass few hours but I did something I wouldn't have in my entire life.

I put both my hands on his shoulders and leaned up against him. My lips were rested a few inches away from his left ear.

"Can't wait for it." I whispered, seductively. Well, I hope it was. I could feel Edward's body shiver slightly against mine. Before things got a little heated up, a voice rang across the house.

"Would you two stop flirting and get down here?" Alice shouted. Laughter filled the house after Alice's remark.

I gave Edward a smirk before turning around on the heel of my foot. That particular action caused my hair to go flying straight into Edward's face. I then slowly started walking down the stairs, taking every step with precaution. Once I reached the bottom of the second floor, I glanced behind me to see Edward still standing at the top of the third floor with a daze look in his eyes. I shook my heard slightly. _Boys would always be boys!_ I decided to play with him a little.

"Oh Romeo, Romeo! Where for arth thy, Romeo?" I said to him. As he brushed of his daze look and turned towards my voice, I put on an innocent looking face. His eyes widen slightly before a smirk appeared. I knew that look. It was something that rang of bells in my head. It warned me that Edward was up to something. I really didn't want to know what it was.

My eyes automatically widen at the sudden speed of Edward running down the stairs. I knew I wasn't going to reach the living room in time. I managed to get to the third step from the top of the stairs before I was whisked off of my feet. I closed me eyes immediately afraid that I was going to fall.

I then realized that my body felt like it was floating instead of falling. I peeked one eye open and was met with those gorgeous green eyes that I had grew accustomed to. I opened both of my eyes and stared at him before staring down at my body. Edward had wrapped his arms around me, one underneath my knees and the other on my back. In total conclusion, Edward was carrying me bridle style down the stairs.

I didn't like it. I definitely didn't like it at all. I was slightly afraid that he would suddenly drop me. I started to wiggle about, trying to get out of his grasp. He held onto me even more firmly then before. That didn't stop me from trying to be free. I tossed around as much as I could, although it wasn't that much considering his grasp on my skin was a tight as it can be. Once we reached down the stairs, I looked at Edward and only Edward.

On the way down the stairs, my mind finally processed that there were more people in the room than there was when I escaped. The Cullens and the Hales guest were supposedly here. Once Edward reached the final step, I couldn't even bring myself to see who they were. I just stared at Edward with fear in my eyes. Edward glanced around at all the faces in the room before stopping at mine. He noticed the fear that was present.

"Bella, it's ok!" He said before leaning towards my ear to whisper "I'm never letting you go." I shivered slightly at his statement. A smirk made its appearance on his face as he said that. Realization dawned on me that this was what brought on the smirk earlier on the third floor. This was his way of getting back at me for what I did to him. Clever! I had to admit that. Seduction vs. seduction. Impressive!

He still hadn't set me free once we reached the living room. I could feel my body moving slightly up and down from the movements that Edward was making. All too suddenly the movement of my body stopped. I looked at Edward and realized that he was placing me gently on the living room couch. As he laid me down, the fiery sensation from where his hands had been became more prominent.

After he set me down, I immediately sat back up, hoping not to be an imposition to anyone. I clamped my eyes shut for a minute or so as I thought about what was about to happen in a few minutes.

"What's wrong with her?" Emmett asked.

"Just give her some time. Take all the time you need, Bella. We don't want to force you into saying anything." Edward responded.

"Yeah sure! Take all the time you want. We don't need to go home for dinner or anything. We're good." A sarcastic voice replied.

My eyes immediately opened wide as I stared at the person who responded. I couldn't believe it. This person who had hurt me badly was standing right in front of me. Out of all the people in the world, it just had to be Jacob Black.

My eyes immediately scanned the entire room. Everyone I knew that was apart of this scam was here. Jake, Embry, Quil, Paul, Jared, Sam, Leah, Seth. I felt as though I had been electrocuted but not in the good way. Everyone who had been apart of the whole ordeal was here. The Cullens, the Hales and even Jake and his friends.

"Bella! Breathe, Bella, breathe!" Edward said as he shook my shoulders lightly.

I took in a huge amount of air that would help clear my head a little. I couldn't believe it. What were they all doing here? Well, actually it shouldn't surprise me that they were here. Edward said we needed to sort this whole thing out. And logically, to do it, everyone had to be there. Why was I so stupid? I should have figured this out a long time ago.

"Um…hi." That was all I said to everyone present in the spacious living room of the Cullen house.

After the specific greetings given by each and everyone, silence filled the air that surrounded us. A sharp, bladed knife couldn't even cut through the tension that was thickening in the atmosphere. The only sounds that alerted my ears were the sounds of someone coughing and another person sneezing. Both from one of Jake's friends in La Push. After 5 minutes of silence that was perhaps increasing in a crescendo manner, someone finally cracked.

"Ok, that's it. I had enough of this stupid silence that has been going on and on for about 5 minutes now. Can we get this ordeal over and done with so we all can move on with our lives? We're not getting any younger, you know." Rosalie said in a frustrated tone.

"I agree!" Soon everyone in the room was either cheering on or agreeing the comment Rosalie made. Everyone except the victim of this whole ordeal itself.

"Well Bella? Everyone agrees except you. So in other words, majority wins. Let the questions and answers begin." Jake replied as he rubbed his hands together with an evil smile on his face.

Everyone in the room laughed at his facial expression. I laughed along as well. But inside, I was feeling pretty scared about facing the truth. The truth about my past had been buried inside of me for the past three years. Plus, I was also afraid of finding out the reasons for the creepy prank calls.

"Bella, are you ok?" Edward asked me, once everyone had stopped laughing. I wish I could say what I truly felt but with everyone's eyes on me, I had to lie through my teeth.

"I'm fine, really. Let's get this thing over and done with." I said with nervous laughter in between my words.

I had this strange feeling that everyone knew that I was faking my laughter but they chose to ignore it. I would to if I were them. But sadly, the roles were reversed and I just so happened to be the victim here.

"Well, um…why don't we all sit down? You guys could take that side and we'll take this. Bella and Edward could sit on the couch." Alice said as she pointed to the designated spot assigned to each group. From my position on the couch, Jake and his friends were seated on my left and the Cullens and the Hales were seated on my left.

"So um…we should start at the beginning right? Um…anyone have any idea at all?" Alice asked as she eyes scanned the entire for anyone who had any input on the situation.

"I have a proposition. It's just an idea that might help speed up things." Edward responded to Alice's question. Alice nodded an indication to open Edward's suggestion.

"Since I'm situated in the middle of this…meeting, it would be fair if I were the spokesperson. As in I would ask questions and listen to the responses towards these questions. And from there, we will get our answers that might put all the pieces together and complete the puzzle. That is, if my permission is granted by all of you." Edward said.

His proposition was thought very carefully by each and everyone of us. Pros and cons were flooding through our minds, especially my own. It would be a huge benefit for me to have Edward as the spokesperson. He wouldn't put the unnecessary pressure on me if I felt uncomfortable with a certain question. Although I had a feeling, things weren't going to be that simple.

"Alright, we agree with Edward's idea." Alice said on behalf on the Cullens and the Hales.

"Yeah, we agree too." Jake spoke on behalf of all his friends. I gave Edward a nod, indicating my answer.

"Very well. Before we begin interrogating one another, I would like to set some ground rules first. Just because I'm a Cullen doesn't mean I would be bias towards their judgments. And that goes for you too, Bella. I won't be bias. I would play this role properly and with fairness. So Jacob and his friends would not have to worry about that. Secondly, I would also like everyone to keep an open mind during the revelations. And finally, I hope everything would go smoothly without any interruptions or disturbances especially from Emmett, and after everything is settled, we can go back to our normal lives. Understood?" Edward said smoothly with a calm tone in his voice.

"Hey, I resent that." Emmett said in defense towards himself. However, no one was paying any attention to him at all.

Everyone in the room stared wide-eyed at Edward. We were all shocked at what Edward had to say. Although, I personally liked the rules. But hearing Edward say something like that was beyond shocking. It was as if we were all in court and Edward was the judge with the funny looking hair. Now that is funny.

I think I might have accidentally let a giggle slip by my mouth because Edward turned his head to face in the questioning manner. I shook my head, trying to cover my face with my mahogany, brown hair. This way, my face would be hidden as my cheeks slowly turn red due to my embarrassing moment.

"Ok! Since I have everyone's approval, let the moment of truth BEGIN!"

**AN: Well, is everyone ready for the moment of truth. The secret behind everything is about to be revealed. It's not such a big secret so don't get shocked about it when you find it out for yourself. But remember that it means a huge deal towards Bella. So let's just be there for her. Thanks for reading this story. Reviews are definitely not compulsory. **

**~*~ Asn ~*~**


	30. Chapter 29: Journey to the Past

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own twilight...this disclaimer is for the whole story. **

**Chapter 29: Journey to the Past**

"Ok! I would ask a question and each group would answer it truthfully. If another group has something to add towards one's statement, feel free to do so in a proper manner. No shouting, yelling, screaming, or accusing. Let's begin." Edward said. His eyes scanned the entire room before beginning with the first question.

"Firstly, does anyone know when this whole ordeal started? Answer truthfully." Edward asked each group. The Cullens and the Hales were the first ones to answer the specific question.

"Well, we don't exactly know when this whole thing started. Jake and his friends just asked for our help and we just obliged." Alice answered.

My heart felt a stab of pain as she mentioned the fact that they obliged to help Jake and his friends with something that would be so hurtful to me. _Bella, they didn't know how bad it was. Listen to what Edward said. Keep an open mind and maybe you'll find out the truth._

"From what we know, it all started when Bella returned to Forks after three long years. Me and the gang just so happened to bump into the Cullens and the Hales one day and we started talking. Bella somehow got slipped into the conversation. They were saying about how strange she was acting in school. When met her for the first time since she came back, she was fine. We were all really confused. So we asked them to explain how she was acting in school. And the person they described to us wasn't the Bella we remembered. And that's where it all began." Jake said as he stared at me with an apologetic look imprinted on his face.

My eyes glanced at the rest of the La Push gang and they all had the same looks on their faces. Forgiveness somehow seeped through my mind. As Edward turned his head towards me, I realized it was my turn to answer the question. To tell the real truth about what happened. How it all started.

"I still don't know the whole story of what happened but now at least I have a rough idea. Um, the truth is what Jake said was correct but wrong at the same time." I sheepishly answered.

"How could he be correct and wrong at the same time?" Emmett asked me.

"Well, let me finish. This whole thing didn't really start from when you guys met each other. It started three years ago. When I first left Forks." I said.

Everyone's expression was filled with confusion. Everyone except Emmett that is. He was pretty much staring at the ceiling in awe. Odd, if you ask me. He lived in this house for I have no idea how many years and he is staring at his ceiling in awe.

"Care to elaborate, Bella?" Edward asked me gently, not wanting to pressure me. I'm truly glad to have met someone like him.

"When I moved out of Forks, I went to stay with my mom and stepdad, Phil in Phoenix. Ever since I moved, I lost in touch with these guys over here." I said as I pointed my finger towards the Jake and his friends.

"As some of you may know, Phil was a minor league baseball player. Therefore, it meant that we had to move around a lot. Usually around every 6 months or so. The truth is it was the schooling in Phoenix that changed something that was a part of my life. In conclusion, that's basically where it all started." I told them. I didn't want to spill everything out without getting some information about what they did in return. That was mainly why I stopped where I did.

"OK! Well, I hope this answers a few of your question. However if there is anything you want to ask about what has been said so far, now would be the time. Anyone?" Edward asked after giving me a slight smile.

That specific smile made me truly believe that we were in this together. I was a little proud of myself. Having the courage to speak about my past. I just hope that whatever words are spoken or actions are taken, that we may solve this whole ordeal and let it be just a memory of the past. What we're doing now is basically taking a journey to the past. My thoughts were interrupted once again.

"When you said that the schooling in Phoenix changed your life, do you mean a drastic event? Or was it a tougher French Class? From what I remember, your French was très bien" Embry asked.

Everyone laughed at his remark. Honestly, I could say that if you needed someone to break the tension in the room, it would be Embry. He could crack up a boring old senator if he wanted. No offense to senators. It's just that frankly, they are usually quite boring. And well, old!

"No it…not exactly. The French was a little tough but I managed to pull through." I replied with a smug smile on my face. Lying to protect a friends pride is actually quite noble. Well, unless your friends could see right through you, that is. Like what is happening right now.

"Félicitations!" Jake said with a smirk of his face. He thinks he can beat me. Well pal, will see about that.

"Gracias!"

"You do know that is Spanish right?" Jake asked me.

"So? It proves I could speak in different languages. Unlike you of course, who just happened to fail Spanish in the seventh grade! Isn't that right, señor?" I replied.

"Qu'est-ce qui se passe?" Seth asked. **(What's happening)**

"Je n'ai aucune idée." Leah answered. **(I have no idea)**

"Ok, enough of this. Could we please get back to the situation at hand for a moment? After that, you can fight all you want in French or in whatever language you decide. Deal?" Edward asked Jake and me.

"Oui!" Jake and I grudgingly obliged towards Edward's request.

"Now since the French war is put on hold, let us continue with the English battle. I realized that this question and answer method would take an awful lot of time. So to speed things up, we would solve this thing using the chronology method. In order to accomplish this, we have to list down the history of the whole situation. But in this case, we would listen instead of writing it down." Edward said with a voice full of authorization.

"Why listening instead writing?" Quil asked. I was also wondering the same thing. It would be more organize if we wrote everything down in clear detail.

"Well, because writing down something would make it remain in your head longer. And you wouldn't want to remember this incident forever, would you? I didn't think so. And well frankly, writing it down is such a bother. It's so much easier to listen." Edward answered.

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. We all wanted to get this situation off our chest. And writing it down would burn the whole memory into my head. My mind couldn't be better of without it.

"OK! Since I have everyone's agreement in using this method, we would definitely accomplish this without a glitch. Well, as we heard earlier, Bella mentioned that this whole thing began three years ago. That was during the time Bella first moved out of Forks and into Phoenix. Bella also mentioned that something about the schooling in Phoenix that changed her life. So Bella, since the story came to halt at that point, it is your job to continue with it. I'm sorry if you feel uncomfortable laying everything out for everyone to see but this is how the chronology method is done!" Edward said. Although he said it with firmness, there was a hint concern that was visible.

I knew I had to do this even though it could possibly result towards something painful. But in order to get through all these obstacles, courage is required. Moments before I began re-telling my story, I could feel the courage and confidence that was locked up inside of my start to twist and vibrate. Those two important principles were boiling inside of my soul, ready for their moment of freedom. And as I began to spill out of my heart, the courage and the confidence began to rein my entire being.

"As a child, I was really clumsy and used to blush numerously. Those among others were qualities of myself that I used to dislike. When I moved to Phoenix, I was the new girl in school and no one knew me. They didn't know who I really was. That was when the opportunity presented itself. I had the choice of being me, the clumsy girl who would blush at every occasion or someone else who was much cooler." I began reminiscing.

"So which option did you choose?" Emmett asked.

"Ugh! Which did you think she chose bone-head? Wouldn't you want to be someone much cooler than who you really are?!" Paul replied with utter annoyance.

"Don't you dare yell at him again?!" Rosalie said with a glare imprinted on her face.

"What are you going to do about, huh? Paint my nails with your dangerous nail polish. Ooh! I'm scared now." Paul started making fun of Rosalie.

Most of the guys began laughing at what he said. Except for Quil and Embry, who were watching Jake, who just so happened to be watching me. His look was pure vulnerability. As his stare became increasingly intense, I had to look away. I didn't feel comfortable with the way he was looking at me. It made me feel even remorse at how I yelled at him. Anger involved my thoughts into doing something utterly unforgiving. I just hoped the unforgiving part isn't true.

My eyes glanced away from Jacob and onto where Edward happened to be sitting. I was surprised when the seat next to me turned out to be empty. I stared at the empty seat until I heard his voice coming from another direction. My eyes focused to where the voice came from. Edward was trying to break up the verbal fight between the La Push gang and the Cullens and the Hales.

Everyone from both sides of the party had stood up and started shouting and yelling at each other. My mind was filled with mixed emotions. I was worried about how badly this fight might turn out. But I was also glad at the same time because it was only a verbal fight and not a physical one.

As I got up from the couch to help calm down the fight, I heard a sound coming from outside the house. It sounded as though a car was coming in the driveway. I wondered who it could be. My mind pondered on this momentarily before everything clicked together. Who else wasn't in this room? The answer was everybody. Unless, maybe it was Angela and Ben. But it couldn't be them. In order for them to be here, they had to know about the kidnapping.

As that thought passed through my mind, I felt as though I had been stabbed in the heart. Angela and Ben were the only ones I had trusted my story to. And they knew about my kidnapping. They didn't even bother to warn be about it. They might have even planned the whole thing with everyone else. How could I be so naïve as to trust someone without fully knowing them? They appeared to be civil and trusting people. I guess now I fully understand the meaning of the saying 'don't judge a book by its cover.'

The fight between the two parties was still standing strong. It might have gotten a little worse with a few shoves here and there. But that was basically it. I noticed that Jake, Quil, and Embry had joined Edward in a quest to stop this fight from breaking into a war. _OK, that was a little dramatic don't you think?_

The sound that my ears picked up earlier had mysteriously vanished. Maybe I was just quick to judge things. I couldn't have been Angela and Ben. But that constant curiosity inside my mind got the better of me. The courage and the confidence that broke its barrier inside of me hadn't fully diminished yet. I took a deep breathe before getting up from the couch. Everyone was too busy either fighting or stopping the fight to notice me get up from the couch.

I marched myself quietly towards the front door. I could see some shadows lurking underneath the doorway. I opened the front door and was surprised at who was standing there. I didn't recognize the two figures that were positioned in front of me. Although, their expression must have mirrored my own. They were both surprised to find someone they didn't know positioned in front of them as well.

From their position, I could only presume that they were a couple. A gorgeous lady with wavy caramel hair and a handsome gentleman with honey blonde hair. I wondered what they were doing here at the Cullens house. As I thought about it, the gorgeous woman introduced herself.

"Hello, I'm Esme and this is my husband Carlisle. It's so nice to meet you." Esme said. They were husband and wife. Why would they be standing in front of the Cullens house? That was when it hit me with a ton of force. Oh my Gosh! This must be Mr. and Mrs. Cullen.

"Oh my Gosh! I am so sorry. You're Mr. and Mrs. Cullen right?" I felt like a total idiot for asking that question when I knew the answer to it. Their impression of me must be of total idiocy.

"Why yes! But we prefer Carlisle and Esme. And you are?" Carlisle asked me. I was surprised at how young they both look. They must have gotten married really young in order for Edward, Alice and Emmett to be born.

"Um…hi, I'm Isabella Swan. But I prefer Bella." I said to them with a slight smile on their face. I was finally meeting Edward's mom and dad. Wow! Now I know where they inherit their good looks from.

"Well, it's so nice to meet you, Bella. Could we….step inside please?" Esme asked me.

"Oh my Gosh! I'm so sorry. Forgive me for standing here and blocking your way." I began apologizing. I definitely must have looked like a total idiot. This will definitely diminish my chances of his parents liking me.

"It's alright, dear!" Esme replied. She is such a sweet woman.

"Although, I have to warn you. From the noise coming from behind me, I'm sure you could hear something going on. Please, don't panic or anything. There is just some sort of verbal fight going on. And I thought it would be best to give you a warning forehand." I said with worry. I hope they didn't get mad at what was happening. Although, that might stop the fight was expanding into something more.

"Oh my, a fight? Is anyone hurt?" Carlisle asked me as he gripped onto his wife's hand.

"Physically, everyone is fine, I think. Emotionally however, there's a possibility that someone is. Edward and a few other friends are trying to stop the fight but I think help might be required." I told them truthfully.

As I told them the possible outcome of the fight, my eyes subconsciously flickered towards the outside. The sky was still the same bright blue as it was moments before I was kidnapped. I could feel the wind breeze through my hair. The smell of nature was clouding my mind. My mind already had a plan brewing inside. It was time for it to take action.

The exact moment when Carlisle and Esme rushed into the house to stop the fight, I rushed out of it. I was instantly met with fresh air and a sense of freedom. My mind had totally and utterly forgotten the promise I made Edward about running out of the house. All it could feel was pure freedom.

That was when my plan kicked into action. I glanced around for my red truck but it wasn't there. I remembered that I was kidnapped and I had not come here on my own will. An improvisation immediately replaced the old plan. I glanced towards the forest for a brief second before escaping into it. I was escaping from the house, the Cullens, the Hales, and the La Push gang.

But most importantly, I was escaping from my destiny.

**AN: Wow! So much for Bella becoming brave and courageous. How did you like the French words I added in. I hope they were understandable. Sorry that the secret behind everything was not revealed. Thanks for reading this story. Reviews are definitely not compulsory. **

**~*~ Asn ~*~**


	31. Chapter 30: True Comfort

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own twilight...this disclaimer is for the whole story. **

**Chapter 30: True Comfort**

I sped off into the direction of the forest. My feet were protruding its way into the moist ground. With every step I took, my face came directly close towards another tree. The thumping pattern of both my heart and my feet sounded through these woods. I could feel the uneven sequence of my heart beating against my thorax. Perspiration was dripping at a non-stop rate down my face and drenching my cotton blouse with thick, cold sweat. My lungs were burning like a flaming fire on a candlestick.

Many cuts and bruises were visible on my skin as the branches of trees protruded my skin. My body met the ground a couple of times but I managed to pull myself back up again. I couldn't let them catch up to me. I knew it was cowardly to run away instead of facing my past. But somehow, when I saw all their faces in that room, my mind began to wonder how deep this thing really is. I didn't know which was worse. Telling them the secret of my past, or feeling the pain of what they were about to tell me.

As my mind began to ponder on the reasons and motives behind the escape plan, the muscles in my legs began to fade away. This reaction puzzled me quite a bit considering the fact that I was running at top speed. As I looked up, I noticed the clear blue sky up ahead. Confusion surrounded me even more, as I remembered clearly that the sky above was clouded by branches and leaves from the trees. The vast blue sea above me was barely visible in the forest. But now it was spread out in the open. As I gazed into the magnificent sky, I felt as though it were closing in on me.

That was when I began to realize that my body had slowed down due to the surprise. My body came to a halt in what appeared to be a clearing field. While me eyes took in every detail of the clearing, my breathing was labored. My ears picked up the sound in the atmosphere. Utter silence. Everything was quiet as the dead. The only sound that my ears picked up besides the emptiness was the rapid beating of my heart. Each thump it made sounded as though a drum was beating in my mind.

When my body finally managed to relax, I took in a deep breathe. The air was lusciously fresh. A breeze sent crashing waves of cool air against my entire face. Just as I opened my eyes, my mind began to notify how huge and spacious this clearing was. It was surrounded by the vast, mysterious forest. The sky above me was a luminous blue without a single cloud hovering in it. Birds were chirping wildly somewhere in the deep, dark woods.

These are one of the things I admire about the world. The beauty and magnificence of nature. The wondrous of God's power. He created all this for each and every one of us to enjoy. But sadly, there are not much left of God's gift to us. We destroy and abolish these gifts for the greed and power of mankind. It's such a shame that not everyone gets to enjoy the beauty of nature. Living in Forks is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Although I could live without the current situation.

Unfortunately the moment for enjoying and appreciating the marvelous beauty of nature came to an end. My mind became alert once again. My ears strained to listen to anything that was out of the ordinary. Warning bells were going off in my head. It was processing every detail of the surrounding at a thousand miles per hour. That's when I heard it. A sound so distinguishing that even a baby could recognize it. The echo of the sound was heard towards the south east of where I was currently positioned.

_**CRACK!**_

The same sound was visible in the air. My whole being turned towards that direction. I couldn't see what was lurking in those parts of the woods. But I had a strong feeling in my gut that I wasn't going to let my curiosity get the better of me. It hit me like a ton of bricks as I came to a realization of what could have possibly caused that sound. I thought ran fast enough but I guess they were running in the speed of lightening.

I didn't have time to process the thought of them being this close. My mind was already busy trying to find an escape route. Towards the north of the clearing, there was a hill barely visible above the horizon of trees. A rash decision was made. I knew I couldn't go back the way I came from. Though now I had no idea which way that was. Although the journey towards the hill had many obstacles in its path, it was a way I was sure no one would intersect.

Just as the decision was made, I dashed my way towards the clouds of trees that surrounded the hill. My heart soared as the surrounding trees came closer and closer towards me. My heart was flying high in the sky at the gratitude of finding an escape route. At the moment my joyfulness and gladness reached its climax, everything was crushed into pieces. My whole being came to a halt at the sight of a black figure appearing from behind the trees. It was too dark for me to identify the person but I knew deep down that it was one of them. I couldn't believe how stupid I was for thinking that I could escape from destiny. One way or another, it would always come back to find me. It was as if everything was planned out and there was no way of escaping life's cruel fate.

My heart was pounding with intense force. My body moved subconsciously two steps back as the dark figure hidden in the trees stepped forward. The exact moment the sunlight reflected on the dark figure's body, his identity came into recognition. A gasp was released from my lips as I took in every detail of the figure standing in front of me. I couldn't help my curious mind that pondered on how it could be possible.

"How?" The question that I tried to toss aside escaped my lips.

"It wasn't that hard, really. We presumed you entered the forest because the road would have been too visible. So we separated and searched the woods for any signs of recent tracks. I just happen to be searching at the exact stop you were headed towards." The person replied.

I shook my head at the probability of that happening. It was very slim and yet, here it was. My mind began to think of other ways to escape. A few ideas popped into my head but the chances of everything working out according to plan were once again slim. I decided to take the chance anyway. It was a long shot. But there wasn't any harm in trying.

The soles of my feet spun three hundred and sixty degrees as I dashed my way back into the clearing. Footsteps other than mine were heard echoing in the air. I forced myself not to turn around and look at the person who was behind me a few moments ago. Other footsteps were becoming more prominent. I came to the conclusion that the chances of me escaping these woods without being caught were a million to one. I pushed myself even further, ignoring the burning sensation in my lungs and the pain in my feet. Just as I thought things couldn't get any worse, it just did.

My clumsy feet tripped over a branch that somehow managed its way into the middle of the clearing. My body came crashing down and I had another encounter with the ground. Everything around me was becoming cloudy. My eyes felt heavy but I forced them to stay open. I couldn't let them close knowing that they were just a few seconds behind me. I tried to get up but I couldn't feel my legs. Both my legs and my hands felt numb. The last image my eyes captured before it gave in was of Edward dashing towards me with a concern look imprinted on his face.

"We have to take her to the hospital. She may have hit her head and had a concussion when she fell."

"Bella hates the hospitals. If she were awake, she wouldn't want to be admitted. Trust me, I know her."

"Well, if she was awake, then we wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place. And what do you mean you know her? You were the one who came up with this stupid prank anyway."

"Don't think you are so smart, Cullen. The gang and I have known her longer than any of you."

"Guys, could you please stop talking? I think she's waking up."

All those voices that were buzzing through my head were giving me a major headache. And I didn't need that considering I already had one. At first, I thought the voices were a figment of my imagination. But now I wasn't too sure. I tried opening my eyes but they felt really heavy. I began to regain feeling in both my arms and legs. My thoughts were a little jumbled but that might have been caused by the massive headache I was having.

My mouth felt dry and my throat demanded the attention of water in it. I finally managed to pry one eye open but immediately shut it after a blinding light illuminated the entire area. I would presume that someone surrounding me noticed the slight movement I made because non-stop question were being thrown in my direction.

"Bella, are you ok? Can you hear me? Do you we need to take you to the hospital? Does anything hurt?"

"Relax Edward; she just has a slight headache. With all the questions you keep throwing at her, I think you might be making her headache worse." I heard a male voice say.

"Oh my gosh, Bella. I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to make your headache worse. I was just worried about you. You know I care about you, right? We all care about you. I'm sorry I didn't mean to."

"Edward, I think that's enough. Can you go get her a glass of water? She would want something to drink when she wakes up." The same voice asked.

Whoever said that was right. My throat felt dry and didn't something to parch its thirst. Although my eyes were closed, colors were still visible everywhere. Patches of bright yellow, red, and even orange were swirling in all directions right before my closed pupils. Then as quick as it appeared, it vanished. Everything was once again pitch black. Total darkness surrounded my entire being.

My eyes no longer felt heavy. Actually, now they felt light as a feather. My eyes slowly lifted myself out of unconsciousness. The light intensity was massive. But I held on. I blinked a couple of times due to the bright rays of light. Finally, my irises managed to capture light into it to behold the scene before me.

I was lying on a couch with my front facing the ceiling. I would presume that I was still at the Cullens household due to the same ceiling feature that I observed out of curiosity at Emmett's awe expression earlier. There were some noises in the back ground. My ears couldn't exactly pick them up. Everything was all so fuzzy.

As the voices approached nearer and nearer, my body immediately kicked into alertness. I was aware of everything that was going on around me. I was at the Cullens house. They had managed to catch up to me. The cruel fate that I had managed to escape from earlier is here to haunt me. I had to get out of here. The chances were slim but I just couldn't handle the risk of letting everyone know my secret. In my opinion, it was better to not to know then to know something you would rather not have known.

The exact moment that thought passed through my mind, my body reacted to it in a split second. I shot up straight from my position while feeling the blood rush swirling around my brain. That specific movement was definitely noticed as I felt many hands begging for me to lie back down. Although my body struggled with their grasp, the blood rushing through my brain was too much for me to handle at the moment.

"Edward quick, the water!" The male voice spoke once again.

"Here."

"Now Bella, sit up slowly. You don't want to feel that head rush again, I presume. Nice and easy. There you go! OK! Here, drink this. It will help quench your thirst." I opened my eyes and stared into the face of the man who had been giving directions just moments ago.

His face seemed familiar but I just couldn't seem to put my finger on it. He had honey blonde hair with matching sea blue eyes. As the puzzle pieces formed inside my head, a picture of the man in front of me was formed. I finally recognized the handsome young man, who just happened to be Edward's father.

In his hands, there was a glass of crystal water. I hesitated for a brief second before taking the glass and chugging its contents down my throat. I could feel the rush of water like a waterfall burning its way to the bottom of my throat.

"Better?" Dr. Carlisle Cullen asked me. My head was finally beginning to regain its memory. I had met Dr. Carlisle Cullen weeks before. On the first day of school. During that horrible incident involving being unseen by anyone other than Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper.

"Yes, thank you." I replied courteously.

"Well, you appear to be fine. You don't have a concussion, I hope. Do you feel a slight headache or anything of that sort? No? Well, then you are perfectly healthy. Just try to watch your step next time you go jungle tracking in the middle of the forest."

"Haha! There won't be a next time. I might not even live to the next day." I whispered the last part mainly to myself. But judging by Dr. Carlisle's expression, I would presume that he heard it as well.

"OK, so now I would leave all of you to your 'awesome' secret as Emmett would put it. This time, please lets us not get into another fight. It was hard enough to break up the last one." Carlisle said as he got up from the couch and wandered off into the kitchen.

The air surrounding us was filled with the presence of silence. No one moved from where they were positioned and no one uttered a single word. Everyone's gaze was focused on me while mine was focused on the little speck of dust on the carpet. My pupils shifted focus as I felt the weight of someone sitting on my right. Before that person even had the chance of speaking up, I interrupted that moment.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to run away. I was just terrified of what you guys would think of me once you found out the reason all this started." I admitted as I kept my gaze solely focused on a featured painting of a woman impersonating a man.

"Bella, we already know your secret. Well, half of it actually. You told us remember. You mentioned that you wanted to be someone who was much 'cooler' than who you really were. Although, that was as far as the revelation went. The fight interrupted the rest. Would you care to fill us in? And in return, we would tell you how and why we did what we did." Edward said from right beside me,

"Trust me when I say that we all are also worried what you might think of us once you find out the truth. Both sides have something to worry about. So, Bella, you must realize that you are not alone. The risk of what might happen to our friendship is floating around in everyone's mind. If you are honest and tell us the truth, we would do the same as well. You have nothing to worry about." Jake said as he sat beside me on my left.

Once again, I took in a deep breath and began telling them the truth of what happened to me while I was in Phoenix.

**AN: I'm sorry it took so long to update. I have been really busy and going to be even more busy later because of exams. So I hope you understand if you don't see an update soon. Thanks! Reviews are definitely not compulsory.**

**~*~ Asn ~*~**


	32. Chapter 31: Reconnection

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own twilight...this disclaimer is for the whole story. **

**AN: I had to put this author note up here. Sorry for not updating in a while. I have been busy with school exams. You can't blame me. **

**Anyway, the greatest news is that this is the last chapter before the epilogue. And considering that the epilogue isn't very long, I would post it as soon as I post this chapter. **

**Chapter 31: Reconnection**

The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. That was what I told them. Frankly, because of the fact that I've told this story to Angela and Ben, I don't really think I need to repeat myself. I'm sure all of you know the reason as to why I became who I am.

Everyone's faces expressed their own thoughts. Some were surprised, some were shocked, some were worried and there was one that was confused. I don't think I have to mention names for that one. All of you would have guessed it by now. Oh alright, I'm so sorry but its unfortunately Emmett, who no longer paid any interest in the ceiling pattern but was more thoughtful than I have ever pictured him to be.

His eyes were scrutinizing me like I was a piece of meat. I suddenly felt very uncomfortable under his gaze. My position shifted and I accidentally locked my gaze into a very guilty looking pair of eyes. Those eyes were boring into me as if they could see through every act and barrier that I had put up. They were also begging me with all their might to forgive them for what they had done. Even though I was feeling worried about what their reaction might be towards me, I managed to give him a reassuring smile. My smile was greeted back with his genuine smile that I've always adored since young.

"So now you know my secret. I just felt that I wasn't worth anyone's time because of how clumsy and pathetic I was. I just wanted to be someone whom everyone admired. Someone who people would look up to. Someone better than me." I looked into everyone's eyes and saw sympathy and concern in them.

"But that turned out to be the worst thing I had ever done. I changed myself just so I could gain confidence that I never had. Transformed myself into someone I barely recognize. I guess that's the price I have to pay for being someone I wasn't. I've lost myself, bit by bit, throughout those three years. And I might never get it back.

"About the quiet act I put up. It was the only thing I had to not make a complete fool out of myself. I didn't know who I was. My likes and dislikes. Everything. The act I put up was the only thing holding me together. I had the crazy impression that if I was a quiet, shy girl, no one would come near me and that would prevent anyone from knowing the fact that I didn't even know who I was. What surprised me was the fact that I was invisible. No one knew I existed. Except all of you, of course. At first the invisibility was something I could use to my benefit. But then it became a major problem. It was as though I was a shadow hidden in the dept of a forest. Even Rosalie didn't see me."

"Sorry!" Rosalie apologized with a sheepish grin.

"No it's ok. I guess I just had this strong desire to not want to be noticed by everyone that I didn't realize it had already happen. But I'm just lucky that all of you now know what was going on through my mind since my return to Forks. I really do hope that we could put this all aside and start from the beginning." I asked them with a nervous smile on my face.

Silence once again surrounded us. Clouded the atmosphere of the room. Stares were being thrown back and forth between everyone. Jake was the one to break everything apart.

"Could we have a discussion?" He asked.

"Aren't we having one now?" Edward spoke the words that were playing in my mind at the moment.

"Yes, but I would like to have a discussion with those who were involved with the 'prank call', please!" He asked again. He quoted the words prank call with his fingers. Everyone's gaze was now focused on Edward.

I could see the gears twisting and turning in his head. He was pondering on the effect of what this might do to me. That was evident by the fact that he kept switching gazes between Jake and I. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. That was something I just realized he did when he was nervous.

"Ok! But only 5 minutes. At the most! Do we have ourselves a deal?" Edward finally answered. Jake nodded in reply.

Jake mentioned that everyone who was involved in the 'prank call' was going to discuss something. This was my chance to find out who was involved and who wasn't. My eyes were getting wider as I noticed everyone started stirring from their previous position. The Cullens and the Hales were moving closer towards where the La Push gang was crowding. I felt the tears burn through my cornea. I didn't realize a tear had slipped through until dampness was felt on my finger tips.

"Hey, it's ok." I felt someone's arms surround my entire body. An odd feeling overpowered me. I felt save in his arms. Like everything in the world was alright. As though my problems went away and I was flying.

"Ssh! It's ok. Don't cry, please. It literally pains me to see you sad." He released his hold over me. The sadness engulfed me for a mere second before I felt his arms twisting my body in his direction. He brushed my hair away from my face towards behind my ear. His thumb gently stroked my cheek. It was the exact position where my tear was. He lifted my chin so I was staring into his eyes even though I tried not to.

"Look at me. Everything is going to be ok. I promise you that everything would be revealed soon. No matter what, you are going to know the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Because that is what you deserved after everything that you have revealed. It's the least we could do. Just trust me on this."

I looked into his eyes and saw compassion with a hint of nervousness. I smiled when I realized that he was telling the truth. Everything would be revealed soon. His words echoed in my mind like a quiet, silent cave hidden deep in the mysterious woods.

"I do." I told him with pure honesty.

"Awwww! Wasn't that so sweet?" Edward and I turned our heads to find everyone else staring at us. I tried to hide my gaze but noticed an extra pair of eyes watching us. I looked up to see Esme and Carlisle staring at us with joy and happiness. I realized that they were just leaving the house to go somewhere.

"Well kids, your mother and I were just leaving. Have fun and try not to break anything. Come on, dear!" Carlisle said as he dragged Esme across the living room and out the door. I heard the sound of the door shut which indicated that they had already left the house.

I knew that my cheeks couldn't turn any redder than it already was. I felt as though it were burning through my skin and there was a hole in it. I have never been this embarrassed in my entire life. Not even when I was walking around the school for the entire day with toilet paper stuck to my shoes. That was one incident I would rather not revisit. Brings back so memories from Phoenix.

"Gee Bella, I didn't know you could turn that red. You look like a tomato." I heard the remark but I didn't see who did it. I was too busy covering my face with my hair from embarrassment.

"Hey, if it were any consolation, I thought that was incredibly sweet and nothing to be embarrassed about. So what is everyone witnessed it. Mom and Dad would definitely want to be told about this instead of keeping everything hidden. Just like this whole scenario." Without even looking at the person, I knew who spoke up. Her voice was a dead giveaway. I pushed my hair back and stared into her face with shock.

"Um…" I tried to form the words in my mouth. I just couldn't. What was she actually saying? That her mom and dad were ok with me being together with Edward. _Wait a minute, Bella! You guys aren't together…yet!_

"Could we please just back to the original topic?" Edward managed to shift the focus towards the ongoing problem instead of our little moment. I turned to give him a smile as my gratitude but his focus was solely on everyone else.

"OK! Eddie over here is right. We have to get this whole thing over and done with so that we could focus on this untold relationship." Jake replied.

"It's Edward." Edward replied.

"Whatever. Now I really want to put this whole scenario behind me and have everything the way they were. If Bella would allow it." Jake turned to me as he finished his sentence.

"What?!" I had absolutely no idea what was going on in this boy's head. How could he think that I would not forgive him?! He has been my friend since we were toddlers. Although I felt a little betrayed, he would always remain my friend. No matter what.

"Yeah Bella. Only if you would allow it." Quil and Embry backed Jake up. I was too speechless to reply them.

"Bella, you are not obliged to say anything. They…we have to fulfill our bargain first. Then if you want to comment, go ahead. But now you don't have to." Edward reassured me. I turned to look at every single one of them in this room. I may not have known some of them real long but I could definitely see myself getting close and being lifelong friends with all of them.

"No! How could you think that I would never forgive?! I desperately want things the way they were. Jake! You have been best friend practically since we were born. How could you doubt our friendship?!"

"I never doubted our friendship, Bella. Ever! You have to believe that. But the way you yelled at us the other day. I thought that was the end of our friendship. I almost lost control because I couldn't stand the thought of losing you. You are my best friend, Bella. You always will be." I couldn't believe what my ears were hearing. The feeling of what Jake was trying to say was overwhelming. Once the words spoken through his lips had sunken in, I felt tears prickling my eyes.

I looked up into Jake's eyes and saw that he had slight moisture in his eyes. Just like the rest of the La Push gang. I couldn't believe how lucky I was to have such great friends. I was stupid enough to have almost given all that up. I couldn't be grateful enough for the Cullens and the Hales for kidnapping me. They would definitely be great friends as well. I got up from the couch and headed over towards Jake. I gazed into his eyes again before wrapping my arms around his body. I think I applied a little too much pressure as I was hugging him because Jake mentioned that he was having difficulty breathing. I laughed at his typical Jake comment.

As I released my strong hold on Jake, I felt pressure on either side of me. I looked up and saw that everyone had wrapped their arms around Jake and me. I was trapped inside a huge bear hug. Oh no! I knew where this was going. I looked up and saw the all too innocent smile on Jake. Realization dawned on me that I was in huge trouble. I tried to squeeze my way out of the group but their hold on me just got stronger.

"Oh no!" Those were escaped my lips before I felt everyone's weight on me.

We used to do this when we were younger. Everyone would always team against me. They would ambush me at any time of the day. They would act a little too innocent as they approached me from all directions. Before I knew it, every one of them was on me. Of course they would never use all their pressure. I was such a small creature then. After a while of being squashed by every one of them, they would start to…

"Hahaha! Stop it, Jake. I said stop it!" They would start tickling me. I would always remain very ticklish. Which is definitely not a very good quality when it comes to being friends with Jake and his pals.

"Hmm! Only if you say it." Jake replied.

This was usually the only way to get them to stop tickling me. But now I had some other things up my sleeve.

"Ouch! Oh my Gosh, that hurts." Just as those words left my lips, everyone stopped tickling me. Just as I had planned. Although what I didn't factor was Edward rushing towards me.

"Are you ok, Bella? Where does it hurt? Someone is going to have to take you to the hospital to get it checked. Just lie down Bella. Everything is going to be fine." I felt Edward's hand pushing me down until my whole body was flat on the ground.

I couldn't help myself. This situation was just too hilarious. I began laughing quietly at first, trying to cover up my laughter. But the force of the laughter was too much and I burst into a roar of laughter. I felt tears pouring down my face. When I wiped those tears away, I saw everyone staring at me as though I was an alien from another galaxy. Of course! Who would laugh like an insane maniac when they were hurt? They probably thought that I was crazy. I just couldn't help it. The look on their faces was priceless.

"I'm fine! Relax everyone." I told them. The looks on their faces told me that they stilled didn't buy it.

"But…but you were yelping in pain just moments ago." Emmett said.

"I was not yelping! And I had to get them off somehow." I said while smiling innocently.

"You didn't?!" Jake replied with shock imprinted on his face.

"What do you think?" I answered with a smug smile on mine.

"I still couldn't believe you were that easy to fool. I mean even Embry felt for it. You're known as the prankster of the group. It's still a shock that you guys felt for it." I noticed that their facial expression still remained the same.

"Haha! Good one!" Embry was the one who broke the sudden silence mere seconds ago. Everyone was now staring at him like he had three heads growing.

"Don't you guys get it?! Bella was trying to maintain the sense of normalcy. After everything that has happened, wouldn't you want that as well?" Before he turned around to face the other direction, he winked at me. I knew that was an indication for to me to play along.

"Exactly! Finally you got it. Congratulations, Embry!" I went up to him to give him a big hug. As I wrapped my arms around his neck, I whispered in his ears thanks. He managed once again to get me out of the loop. I definitely couldn't survive in the world without him as a close friend.

After that comment, everyone began loosening up. Everything looked back to normal. But then the sudden realization dawned on me that we still hadn't completely covered up the whole scenario. Jake's side still had to fulfill the bargain we made.

"Sorry to break the party or anything but we still have this scenario thing to be rid off." It was as if Edward read my mind. This time he turned to smile at me. I nodded at him to proceed.

"Jake? Would you like to begin? You after all came up with the whole plan." Edward asked.

**AN: Hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are not compulsory. Thanks again for reading.!**

**~*~ Asn ~*~**


	33. Epilogue

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own twilight...this disclaimer is for the whole story. **

**AN: Thanks for reading this story. I know its not that great compared to others but I'm still proud of it. I hope you enjoyed reading it. Thanks! Especially brokenfromthepast. Thanks for all your review. And everyone elses.**

**Epilogue**

This time as I sat there listening to Jake's reasoning and explanation, I knew the outcome of it. Understanding of both sides has proven to me that they were only trying to help. Now it fully dawned on me that I was a very lucky girl. I still am. I have great friends, both new and old. And I know that whatever lurks for us in the future, we would never doubt each other and handle it together. As a group of great, beloved friends.

That brings me to the conclusion of my story. Each and every one of their hearts belong to me, just like mine is to them.

There are times of darkness, where shadows reign.

There are times of silence, I could never complain.

There are times of confusion, the pain in my heart.

Proves all these things, is just the start.

And though it seems that my life is miserable,

Through it all, I know.

I am not **Invisible.**

**The End!**

**~*~ Asn ~*~**


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